GAME CAPSULES & PLAYER PROJECTIONS WEEK 14 SUNDAY & MONDAY NIGHT MATCHUPS By Matt Wilson FantasySharks.com Senior Writer

NO TEAMS ON BYE

CAROLINA PANTHERS (5-7) ATLANTA FALCONS (3-9)

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8 TH 1 :0 0 PM ET MERCEDES–BENZ SUPERDOME  ATLANTA, GA L I N E : ATL – 3 .0 OVER/UNDER: 47.0

2019 TEAM OFFENSIVE & DEFENSIVE MATCHUPS

SCOR. PTS/ RUSH RUSH RUSH PASS PASS PASS UNIT RANK RANK GM RANK YPG TD RANK YPG TD

PANTHERS OFFENSE 21 13 23.3 12 120.5 16 21 220.8 15 FALCONS DEFENSE 23 27 26.9 17 108.7 11 26 259.5 23

FALCONS OFFENSE 11 18 21.7 30 74.2 5 2 295.2 23 PANTHERS DEFENSE 22 26 26.7 29 137.5 22 14 229.2 14

CAROLINA PANTHERS

INJURIES TO MONITOR: Greg Olsen (concussion)

BYE: Week 7

Losers of four straight games and five of their last six, the Carolina Panthers organization waived the white flag on the 2019 season by firing head coach Ron Rivera after nine seasons, re- assigning offensive coordinator Norv Turner and promoting qurarterbacks coach Scott Turner to replace him. Actually, a Panthers defense that has given up at least 29 points in three straight outings has been the real problem.

RUSHING MATCHUP – Although Christian McCaffrey’s dud fantasy outing against a very burnable Washington defense last week – 14-44-0 rushing and 7-58-0 receiving on 13 targets – probably has put an end to the Most Valuable Player talk, he remains a must-start guy of course. CMC has racked up 130-plus scoreless combo yards in three straight versus Atlanta. The Falcons defense is ranked 13th in rushing yards allowed and 16th in running back fantasy points permitted to enemy ball carriers.

PASSING MATCHUP – Kyle Allen has posted respectable passing lines of 256-3-0 versus the (Week 12) and 278-2-1 (with a rushing ) against Washington this past Sunday, but the numbers look better than his level of play. Allen has struggled with accuracy and absorbed 16 sacks. Since the Carolina defense has been very leaky, some high- volume throwing will be needed from Allen in a likely shootout against an Atlanta defense that has permitted the ninth-most passing yards and the seventh-most touchdown strikes. Allen has the potential to rack up a nice fantasy outing, but he also remains a risk for a bad game.

The Allen-to-D.J. Moore connection continues to sizzle. Battling Washington this past Sunday, the duo hooked up for their third scoring play in the last two games. During the last five weeks, Moore has averaged 11.4 targets, 7.2 receptions and 103.4 receiving yards per game. Curtis Samuel, averaging 6.1 targets per contest during the last five weeks, has proven to be more of a boom-or-bust option. Since Week 9, Samuel found the end zone in three contests but didn't clear 65 receiving yards in any of his games. Samuel, In his last two versus Atlanta, Samuel compiled receiving lines of 4-25-0 and 7-41-0, respectively. Moore is a must-start guy versus a Falcons defense that has given up the ninth-most wideout touchdown grabs and the eighth-most wideout fantasy points.

Greg Olsen (concussion) isn’t expected to play. Even though the Panthers say they plan to replace Olsen with a committee comprised of Ian Thomas and Chris Manhertz, Thomas is a legit plug-and-play fantasy TE2. He filled in for Olsen during five season-ending 2018 contests, amassing 25 receptions for 246 yards and two during that stretch. The Falcons are ranked 14th in tight end fantasy points allowed.

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS

PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Kyle Allen 276 2 10 0 RB Christian McCaffrey 75 1 8 70 0 RB 10 0 0 0 0 WR D.J. Moore 8 100 1 WR Curtis Samuel 4 44 0 WR Jarius Wright 2 22 0 TE Greg Olsen ------TE Ian Thomas 4 40 1 TE Chris Manhertz 0 0 0

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK 1 1 3 3 6

P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Panthers 31 4 1 1 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2019 Regular Season – Week 11  Carolina was blown out by Atlanta 29-3 at Bank of America Stadium.  Kyle Allen passed for 325 scoreless yards and was intercepted four times.  Christian McCaffrey amassed a 14-70-0 rushing line and an 11-121-0 rec. line (15 targets).  D.J. Moore caught eight passes for 95 yards (15 targets).  Curtis Samuel made four grabs for 25 yards (six targets).  Greg Olsen logged five receptions for 57 yards (five targets).

ATLANTA FALCONS

INJURIES TO MONITOR: Julio Jones (foot), Austin Hooper (knee)

BYE: Week 9

An Atlanta Falcons offense that still can’t run the football consistently has scored just 22 points and 18 points in its last two games, respectively. Austin Hooper (knee) missed both contests and Julio Jones (shoulder) was a no-go for last week. Hooper and Jones are both expected to return, but Matt Ryan hasn’t been the same since he suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 8. The Carolina Panthers visit Atlanta with a badly fading defense. This looks like a get-right matchup for Ryan and company.

RUSHING MATCHUP – Making his return after a two-game injury layoff, Devonta Freeman dominated the touches in the Falcons backfield during the team's Thanksgiving loss to the New Orleans Saints. However, he didn't do much with those touches, amassing 64 combo yards on 21 touches and failing to find the end zone. He should get on track in a home matchup against a Panthers defense that has surrendered the most rushing yards, the most rushing touchdowns and the fourth-most running back fantasy points during the last month.

PASSING MATCHUP – The garbage time padded 312-2-2 passing line that Matt Ryan amassed during his team's Thanksgiving night loss to the Saints was just his second 300-yard outing in the last six weeks and only his second performance with multiple touchdown tosses since Week 10. With the must-start Julio Jones and the must-start Austin Hooper both tentatively expected to return, as noted, Ryan looks like a strong play versus a struggling Carolina defense that has coughed up the second-most passing yards and the sixth-most touchdown passes during the last two weeks.

In three of Jones’ last four matchups versus the Panthers, he either scored or amassed at least 80 yards. The must-start Calvin Ridley, averaging 10.7 targets per game during the last three weeks, has racked up at least 90 yards or scored at least once in three-straight. Ridley also has found the end zone in three consecutive matchups against Carolina. When Hooper went down in Week 10, he was the top-scoring fantasy tight end in one-point PPR formats. Even though Hooper missed three games, only two tight ends have topped his six touchdown catches on the season. Hooper is a strong play versus a Panthers defense that has allowed the sixth-most tight end fantasy points in the last two weeks. WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS

PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Matt Ryan 304 3 0 0 RB Devonta Freeman 70 1 4 33 0 RB Brian Hill 15 0 0 0 0 WR Julio Jones 6 90 1 WR Calvin Ridley 8 100 1 WR Russell Gage 2 20 0 WR Justin Hardy 1 11 0 TE Austin Hooper 5 50 1

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK Younghoe Koo 1 1 4 4 7

P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Falcons 24 4 1 0 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2019 Regular Season – Week 11  Atlanta downed Carolina 29-3 at Bank of America Stadium.  Matt Ryan threw for 311 yards and one touchdown.  Devonta Freeman missed the game because of a foot injury.  Brian Hill amassed a 15-30-0 rushing line and a 1-8-1 receiving line (three targets).  Qadree Ollison compiled a 4-11-1 rushing line and a 0-0-0 receiving line (one target).  Julio Jones made six grabs for 91 yards (eight targets).  Calvin Ridley hauled in eight passes for 143 yards and one score (eight targets).  Russell Gage caught two balls for 32 yards (four targets).  Christian Blake made one grab for three yards (one target).  Austin Hooper sat out due to a knee injury.  Jaeden Graham logged two receptions for 23 yards (two targets). INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (6-6) (5-7)

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8 TH 1 :0 0 PM ET RAYMOND JAMES STADIUM  T A M P A , F L L I N E : TB – 3 .0 OVER/UNDER: 47.0

2019 TEAM OFFENSIVE & DEFENSIVE MATCHUPS

SCOR. PTS/ RUSH RUSH RUSH PASS PASS PASS UNIT RANK RANK GM RANK YPG TD RANK YPG TD

COLTS OFFENSE 19 17 21.8 4 139.0 10 26 204.8 20 BUCS DEFENSE 17 30 28.8 2 76.2 7 31 281.8 27

BUCS OFFENSE 5 4 28.3 22 96.2 13 4 284.2 22 COLTS DEFENSE 13 15 21.4 9 101.8 7 12 226.9 18

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

INJURIES TO MONITOR: Marlon Mack (hand surgery), T.Y. Hilton (calf), Paris Campbell (hand), Moe Alie-Cox (thumb)

BYE: Week 6

The Indianapolis Colts are parked two games behind the and one game behind the Tennessee Titans in the AFC South division standings, but it looks like the season is starting to slip away from the Colts because of injuries and a struggling Jacoby Brissett on offense and a defense that’s slowly regressing. Picking up a needed win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road looks like a very tall order.

RUSHING MATCHUP – After sitting out two contests, Marlon Mack (hand surgery) was tentatively expected to make his return. The early-down grinder, averaging 19.2 carries per contest, rushed for at least 70 yards in each of his four games played before he got hurt. Mack also found the end zone in two of those outings. With him back in the lineup, Nyheim Hines will return to his backup and change-of-pace role. Hines is averaging just 6.0 touches and 35 combo yards per game with two touchdowns scored in the last three weeks. Mack and Hines are both weak plays versus a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense that has allowed the fewest rushing yards, the fourth-fewest rushing touchdowns and the fifth-fewest fantasy points to tailbacks.

PASSING MATCHUP – The Colts' run-first mindset and their injury depleted receiver corps are the two main reasons why a banged-up Jacoby Brissett has posted mostly soft passing numbers during the last five weeks. In that time frame, he has tossed just two touchdown passes and cleared 202 passing yards in only one contest. Brissett also logged only one outing with multiple total touchdowns scored. Heading into a Week 14 road clash with the Buccaneers, T.Y. Hilton (calf), Eric Ebron (ankles) and Chester Rogers (knee fracture) weren’t exepcted to play, and Parris Campbell (hand) was a question mark. The Tampa Bay defense has allowed the third-most passing yards and the fourth-most touchdown passes during the last month. Game script will favor Brissett throwing, but the struggling triggerman doesn’t have enough weapons to do a ton of damage.

Zach Pascal should draw a large share of targets as the team's lead wideout, while Marcus Johnson is also expected to start. Pascal, coming off a 7-109-0 effort on 10 targets against the Tennessee Titans last week, is the far safer choice. Johnson managed a season-best 4-55-0 effort on six targets in the Titans game. Campbell hasn’t played since Week 9 and would be a very dicey start. The Buccaneers have allowed the most wideout fantasy points. Pascal should compile good yardage at the very least with a decent shot at a score.

With Eric Ebron (ankles) parked on injured reserve, as noted, Jack Doyle, operating in a featured role, gashed Tennessee with a 6-73-1 receiving line on 11 targets, which were all season highs, this past Sunday. Doyle draws another favorable matchup versus a Buccaneers defense that has allowed the fifth-most tight end fantasy points. Since he's among the team's few healthy receivers right now, Doyle looks primed for another heavy target load.

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS

PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Jacoby Brissett 255 2 23 0 RB Marlon Mack 60 0 1 11 0 RB Jordan Wilkins 10 0 0 0 0 RB Nyheim Hines 12 0 3 22 0 WR T.Y. Hilton ------WR Zach Pascal 6 78 1 WR Marcus Johnson 5 50 0 WR Parris Campbell 2 20 0 TE Jack Doyle 6 63 1 TE Ross Travis 1 11 0 TE Moe Alie-Cox 0 0 0

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK Adam Vinatieri ------PK Chase McLaughlin 1 0 2 2 2

P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Colts 27 3 2 0 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2015 Regular Season  Indianapolis defeated Tampa Bay 25-12 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

INJURIES TO MONITOR: Scott Miller (hamstring)

BYE: Week 7

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won three of their last four on the strength of their improved passing attack. The backfield remains a frustrating and difficult-to-predict fantasy mess, and the defense still can’t stop the pass. With matchups against the Indianpolis Colts, @ Detroit Lions, Houston Texans and Atlanta Falcons remaining on the schedule, a .500 record is possible.

RUSHING MATCHUP – Head coach Bruce Arians says Ronald Jones is still the starter, but that means very little. Heading into Week 13, Jones had out-touched Peyton Barber 72 to 57 and looked like the Bucs tailback to own. However, this backfield threw fantasy managers for a loop during Tampa Bay's surprising pounding of a sinking Jacksonville Jaguars team this past Sunday. Barber carried 17 times for 44 yards and scored not one but two touchdowns against a Jaguars defense that was ranked 29th versus the run. An ineffective Jones toted the rock six times for eight yards and failed to draw any targets before he was benched for missing a block. While Jones could surprise against an Indianapolis defense that has allowed the fifth-most rushing yards during the last two weeks, he’s a very dicey play and a risk for a bad game just like Barber.

PASSING MATCHUP – Heading into Week 14 action, the must-start Jameis Winston is ranked second in the NFL in attempts (467), second in passing yards (3,659) and seventh in touchdown passes (22). Despite his turnover-marred play – Winston has tossed a league-leading 20 interceptions and lost five fumbles – the fifth-year pro remains an every-week starter in one of the NFL's pass heaviest offenses. The Colts defense has slipped versus the pass, allowing at least 296 passing yards in three straight and permitting two touchdown tosses in two of those three contests.

Since Week 10, Mike Evans has averaged a solid 8.3 targets per game but has been stuck on four receptions for between 50 and 82 scoreless yards per contest. By the way, Winston overthrew him on what would have been a 48-yard scoring play against the Jaguars this past Sunday. During the last six weeks, Chris Godwin has averaged 8.2 targets per contest. He scored at least once in just two games and cleared 60 receiving yards three times, which included his only 100- yard outing since Week 6. During the last month, the Colts defense gave up the third-most wideout touchdowns and the eighth-most wideout fantasy points. Evans and Godwin should both have nice outings.

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS

PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Jameis Winston 314 2 22 0 RB Ronald Jones 60 1 3 20 0 RB Peyton Barber 30 0 0 0 0 RB Dare Ogunbowale 5 0 1 5 0 WR Mike Evans 6 104 1 WR Chris Godwin 8 110 1 WR Breshad Perriman 3 44 0 WR Scott Miller ------TE O.J. Howard 3 20 0 TE Cameron Brate 1 11 0

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK Matt Gay 2 2 3 3 9

P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Buccaneers 14 5 1 1 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2015 Regular Season  Tampa Bay lost to Indianapolis 25-12 at Lucas Oil Stadium. MIAMI DOLPHINS (3-9) (4-8)

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8 TH 1 :0 0 PM ET METLIFE STADIUM  EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ L I N E : NYJ – 5 .5 OVER/UNDER: 45.5

2019 TEAM OFFENSIVE & DEFENSIVE MATCHUPS

SCOR. PTS/ RUSH RUSH RUSH PASS PASS PASS UNIT RANK RANK GM RANK YPG TD RANK YPG TD

DOLPHINS OFFENSE 30 29 16.7 32 62.8 8 24 214.2 15 JETS DEFENSE 6 19 23.3 1 75.2 11 19 242.2 19

JETS OFFENSE 31 28 17.0 31 72.6 6 30 190.2 13 DOLPHINS DEFENSE 30 32 31.4 31 143.5 11 23 256.2 29

MIAMI DOLPHINS

INJURIES TO MONITOR: None

BYE: Week 5

The Miami Dolphins have won three of their last five, which included a victory over the New York Jets in Week 9. Even though the Dolphins have been on the losing end of some blowouts, they’re still playing hard. Miami’s next three games – @ New York Jets, @ and Cincinnati Bengals – are all winnable. A Week 17 clash with the isn’t.

RUSHING MATCHUP – The hits keep on coming. Kenyan Drake (Cardinals) was traded, and the ineffective Kalen Ballage (leg) has been placed on injured reserve. Patrick Laird is expected to handle the lead ball carrier duties with Myles Gaskin and recently signed early-down plodder Zach Zenner backing him up. While Laird has flashed some receiving chops, he hasn’t cleared 20 rushing yards in a contest. The New York Jets have yielded the second-fewest rushing yards and the fourth-fewest fantasy points to the running back position. Any questions?

PASSING MATCHUP – The Jets won’t be able to run as usual, and Ryan Fitzpatrick has been effective while operating in revenge mode against his former teams this season. Those are two reasons why Fitzpatrick is a sneaky streaming option. He threw multiple touchdown passes in his last two and gashed Gang Green for 288-3-0 passing in Week 9. He won’t have Preston Williams this time (Williams scored twice on the Jets), but I still think Fitzpatrick has enough reinforcements to pound out a nice outing. By the way, FitzMagic has rushed for a score in three of his last four road games. If Gang Green safety Jamal Adams (ankle) is a no-go, it would be a boost for Fitzpatrick.

Since Week 10, DeVante Parker, the only show in town for the Dolphins receier corps, has been targeted an average of 10 times per gane, and he has racked up two 100-yard outings in the last three weeks, which included a season-best 7-159-2 effort versus the last week. Allen Hurns has been trying to fill the No. 2 wideout void left by Williams. During the last month, Hurns has been targeted five times per contest. He also scored once and has been good for moderate yardage. New York has allowed the ninth-most wideout fantasy points. Parker is a decent bet-on-target-volume play.

Mike Gesicki, averaging 6.5 targets per game during the last four weeks, has scored in two straight but usually has been good for soft yardage. During the last month, Gang Green slipped to 14th in tight end fantasy points allowed and permitted a 6-95-0 receiving line to Gesicki back in Week 9.

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS

PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Ryan Fitzpatrick 283 2 28 1 RB Patrick Laird 20 0 6 55 0 RB Myles Gaskin 14 0 1 11 0 RB Zach Zenner 10 0 0 0 0 WR DeVante Parker 6 78 1 WR Allen Hurns 5 57 0 WR Albert Wilson 3 30 0 TE Mike Gesicki 4 40 1 TE Durham Smythe 1 12 0

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK Jason Sanders 1 1 3 3 6

P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Dolphins 27 3 1 0 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2019 Regular Season – Week 9  Miami throttled New York 26-18 at Hard Rock Stadium.  Ryan Fitzpatrick passed for 288 yards and three touchdowns.  Kalen Ballage compiled a 7-19-0 rushing line and a 0-0-0 receiving line (one target).  Patrick Laird didn’t log any touches.  DeVante Parker made four grabs for 57 yards and one touchdown (six targets).  Preston Williams (knee) caught five balls for 72 yards and two scores (nine targets).  Mike Gesicki logged six receptions for 95 yards (six targets).

NEW YORK JETS

INJURIES TO MONITOR: Demaryius Thomas (hamstring)

BYE: Week 4

Chugging along with a three-game winning streak, the New York Jets stumbled into a trap game last week, giving the previously unbeaten Cincinnati Bengals their first win on the season. How’s that for humiliating? looks better, but the Jets offense remains ranked 28th or lower in most of the offensive categories that matter.

RUSHING MATCHUP – The team’s non-stop offensive line woes is one of the biggerst reasons why Le’Veon Bell was able to muster only 10-32-0 rushing last week against a Cincinnati defense that’s one of the NFL’s worst versus the run. On the season, Bell has notched three rushing scores but hasn’t cleared 70 receiving yards in a game. His receiving production (4.5 catches per game) has helped offset the soft weekly rushing numbers. Despite facing a Miami Dolphins defense that has surrendered the most rushing yards and the fifth-most fantasy points to the running back position, Bell will manufacture one of his typical moderate outings.

PASSING MATCHUP – Sam Darnold was on a mini-streak of two straight games with at least 290 passing yards and two touchdown strikes before he cobbled together a disappointing 239-0-0 passing performance against a Bengals defense that pressured him constantly. A Miami Dolphins defense that has perittted the 11th-most passing yards and the second-most touchdown passes isn’t good at rushing the passer. Darnold is playing at home and will rebound.

Deep threat looked like an afterthought in the offense for the first three months of the season, but he has come on in recent weeks. Anderson has scored in two of his last three and is coming off just his second 100-yard outing of 2019. had racked up at least 75 receiving yards and one touchdown in three striaight (Week 9 through Week 11) before posting just two catches in each of his last two games. Crowder gashed the Miami with 8-83-1 back in Week 9. Anderson and Crowder are the two safest wideout plays versus a Dolphins defense that has yielded the sixth-most wideout fantasy points.

Ryan Griffin has scored in two of his last three but has cleared 30 receiving yards in just one of his last four. In Week 9, Griffin manufactured a 6-50-0 receiving line on eight targets versus the Dolphins, who have surrendered the 10th-most tight end fantasy points in the last month.

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS

PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Sam Darnold 280 3 10 0 RB Le’Veon Bell 70 0 4 30 0 RB Bilal Powell 10 0 1 10 0 WR Robby Anderson 5 82 1 WR Jamison Crowder 6 63 1 WR Demaryius Thomas 3 33 0 WR Vyncint Smith 1 12 0 TE 5 50 1

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK 2 2 3 3 9

P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Jets 24 4 1 1 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2019 Regular Season – Week 9  New York lost to Miami 26-18 at Hard Rock Stadium.  Sam Darnold threw for 260 yards and one touchdown.  Le’Veon Bell compiled a 17-66-0 rushing line and an 8-55-0 rec. line (nine targets).  Jamison Crowder reeled in eight passes for 83 yards and one score (nine targets).  Robby Anderson caught two passes for 33 yards (four targets).  Demaryius Thomas made two grabs for 19 yards (three targets).  Ryan Griffin hauled in six passes for 50 yards (eight targets). (10-2) NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (10-2)

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8 TH 1 :0 0 PM ET MERCEDES–BENZ SUPERDOME  NEW ORLEANS, LA L I N E : N.O. – 2 .5 OVER/UNDER: 44.5

2019 TEAM OFFENSIVE & DEFENSIVE MATCHUPS

SCOR. PTS/ RUSH RUSH RUSH PASS PASS PASS UNIT RANK RANK GM RANK YPG TD RANK YPG TD

49ERS OFFENSE 6 2 29.1 2 148.0 16 16 230.0 21 SAINTS DEFENSE 10 12 20.7 3 88.6 8 17 234.9 19

SAINTS OFFENSE 13 9 24.8 17 107.3 7 9 254.1 21 49ERS DEFENSE 1 2 15.2 22 116.7 6 1 134.2 12

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

INJURIES TO MONITOR: George Kittle (knee, ankle), Matt Breida (ankle)

BYE: Week 4

Both of the San Francisco 49ers’ losses were by only three points (Seattle Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens), and the 49ers were super competitive in both contests up until the final seconds. San Francisco is currently tied with the New Orleans Saints for the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed. Yup, this game is a biggie.

RUSHING MATCHUP – The 49ers’ frustrating three-headed backfield is expected to be at full strength with Matt Breida (ankle) returning to action after missing three games. Breida is expected to resume his change-of-pace role behind starter and ahead of No. 3 guy Raheem Mostert, who has scored in two straight and racked up a season-best 19-146-1 rushing line last week during a rainy clash with the Ravens. The Saints have permitted the second-fewest rushing yards, just four rushing touchdowns and the fourth-fewest fantasy points to running backs. New Orleans, however, also has given up the third-most receptions to the position. Projecting for this hot-hand backfield is hard. Although Coleman hasn’t been running well, he has caught a touchdown pass in three straight against the Saints (he played for the Atlanta Falcons at the time). Breida also should make a little noise as a receiver. Mostert should see some early-down work, but he could see more early-down action if he runs well and Colemand doesn’t. Consider each guy in this trio a dart throw.

PASSING MATCHUP – Jimmy Garoppolo, facing tough matchups during the last two weeks (the and Baltimore), compiled soft passing numbers in both contests, but you can partially blame low-volume passing game plans. Garoppolo has attempted 21 or fewest passes in two straight. The New Orleans defense, during the last four weeks, gave up the sixth- most passing yards and the second-most touchdown passes, but No. 1 cornerback Marshon Lattimore has returned. The Saints will tighten up against the pass, but Garoppolo should still be good for a moderate outing.

Emmanuel Sanders hasn’t cleared 40 receiving yards or scored four straight due to injuries and facing top coverage guys. I’m assuming that he’ll battle Lattimore more times than not. Deebo Samuel has racked up either 100-plus receiving yards or scored in four straight thanks in part to Sanders drawing top coverage. Samuel should be good for a moderate outing at the least. The Saints have yielded the 12th-most tight end fantasy points during the last month and come into this game with a banged up linebacker corps, which is why George Kittle is a nice play. He will bounce back from a season-worst 2-17-0 showing against the Ravens last week.

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS

PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Jimmy Garoppolo 278 2 0 0 RB Tevin Coleman 32 0 4 33 1 RB Matt Breida 26 0 4 32 0 RB Raheem Mostert 40 0 1 10 0 WR Emmanuel Sanders 4 42 0 WR Deebo Samuel 5 67 0 WR Kendrick Bourne 3 34 0 TE George Kittle 6 60 1

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK Robbie Gould 4 3 2 2 11

P/A SK INT FUM TD DT 49ers 24 4 1 1 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2016 Regular Season  San Francisco was blown out by New Orleans 41-23 at Levi’s Stadium.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

INJURIES TO MONITOR: None

BYE: Week 9

The New Orleans Saints clinched the NFC South this past Sunday, and they head into this critical showdown with the San Francisco 49ers tied with them for the No. 1 playoff seed in the NFC. The importance of this contest is obvious. New Orleans is healthy on offense, but the defense is banged up in the linebacker corps.

RUSHING MATCHUP – The must-start Alvin Kamara's scoring drought has reached seven games. While he's averaging a hefty 18.9 touches and 103.1 combo yards per contest on the season (10 games played), Kamara has logged no 100-yard rushing games. The 49ers defense has allowed the ninth-fewest rushing yards and the second-fewest fantasy points to enemy tailbacks, but San Francisco hasn't faced many tailbacks the caliber of Kamara. Will he break his scoring drought? I think he will. Since Kamara returned to action in Week 10, Latavius Murray has logged weekly touch counts of seven, twelve, seven and four, respectively. The Saints had said they wanted to use Kamara and Murray in a timeshare, but Kamara has been dominating the backfield action most of the time. Murray is a very risky flex play.

PASSING MATCHUP – Drew Brees' Thanksgiving night performance (184 passing yards and one touchdown toss) was a turkey for fantasy managers who were trying to mount a playoff run. The passing yardage was his lowest total of the season for a full game played. Even though Brees will face the upstart 49ers defense in the cozy confines of the Superdome, a huge outing is unlikely. During the last month, San Francisco has surrendered the ninth-fewest passing yards but also the 10th-most touchdown passes (six). In that time frame, the 49ers allowed a 105-1-0 passing line to (Ravens), a 119-1-0 passing line to Aaron Rodgers (Packers), a 150-2-0 passing line to Kyler Murray (Cardinals) and a 232-1-1 passing line to Russell Wilson (Seahawks).

Even though Michael Thomas cobbled together a dud outing (six catches for a season-low 48 yards on eight targets) during his team's Thanksgiving night win over the Falcons, he's still on pace to rack up 147 receptions. Thomas currently leads all NFL wideouts in receptions (110) and receiving yards (1,290). The San Francisco defense, during the last month, allowed the sixth- fewest wideout fantasy points and permitted only three wideout touchdowns. Although the must- start Thomas probably will draw coverage from Richard Sherman (knee) for a good part of the afternoon, the Saints' No. 1 wideout remains a must-start guy.

Jared Cook, in his last six games played (5.8 targets per outing), has either found the end zone at least once or tallied at least 74 receiving yards. By the way, Cook dropped what would have been his sixth scoring grab of the season during the Atlanta game. Since Week 10, the San Francisco 49ers have slipped to 17th in fantasy points allowed to the tight end position. They surrendered a touchdown reception to Jacob Hollister (Seahawks) in Week 10 and permitted one to Mark Andrews (Ravens) this past Sunday. I like Cook’s chances for a score, but don’t expect big yardage.

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS

PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Drew Brees 250 2 0 0 RB Alvin Kamara 72 1 7 57 1 RB Latavius Murray 20 0 2 14 0 WR Michael Thomas 7 75 0 WR Ted Ginn 2 20 0 WR Tre’Quan Smith 2 24 0 TE Jared Cook 5 49 1 TE Josh Hill 1 11 0

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK Wil Lutz 1 1 3 3 6

P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Saints 23 5 1 1 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2016 Regular Season  New Orleans pounded San Francisco 41-23 at Levi’s Stadium. DETROIT LIONS (3-8-1) (8-4)

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8 TH 1 :0 0 PM ET U.S. BANK STADIUM  MINNEAPOLIS, MN L I N E : MIN – 1 3 .0 OVER/UNDER: 43.0

2019 TEAM OFFENSIVE & DEFENSIVE MATCHUPS

SCOR. PTS/ RUSH RUSH RUSH PASS PASS PASS UNIT RANK RANK GM RANK YPG TD RANK YPG TD

LIONS OFFENSE 7 13 23.3 18 105.6 4 7 271.7 25 VIKINGS DEFENSE 16 11 20.2 15 104.5 5 20 242.9 21

VIKINGS OFFENSE 8 7 26.6 6 137.1 15 13 239.5 23 LIONS DEFENSE 29 25 26.2 23 118.0 10 30 280.1 25

DETROIT LIONS

INJURIES TO MONITOR: Matthew Stafford (back, hip), T.J. Hockenson (ankle – injured reserve)

BYE: Week 5

Even though the Detroit Lions have lost five in a row, they’ve remained competitive. All of Detroit’s losses were by eight or fewer points. With Matthew Stafford (back, hip) still on the recovery trail and Jeff Driskel (hamstring) parked on injured reserve, David Blough is the presumed starting quarterback for the close of a lost 2019 season. I don’t recommend any of the Lions fantasy stars this week for your playoff team.

RUSHING MATCHUP – Early-down thumper Bo Scarbrough continues to give the Lions a reasonably serviceable ground game. He has found the end zone just once (Week 11) and hasn’t caught any passes, but Scarbrough has carried at least 18 times and rushed for at least 80 yards in two of three starts. Since Scarbrough took over the primary runner duties, J.D. McKissic has averaged just five touches per contest while Ty Johnson’s weekly workloads has been smaller. The Minnesota Vikings looked soft versus the run against the Seattle Seahawks last week, but the Vikings haven’t allowed a visiting tailback to top 76 yards, and just one of them found the end zone.

PASSING MATCHUP – The Chicago Bears didn’t have any idea what to expect from David Blough during their Thanksgiving Day clash, which is probably why he sliced them up in the early going using heavy doses of play action. Blough passed for 280-2-1 while completing 22 of 38 throws. This is his first road start, and the Vikings will have some game film of him. Minnesota has given up the 13th-most passing yards and the 10th-most touchdown passes, but it’s hard to see Blough exploiting this matchup. Garbage-time production is a possibility.

Blough targeted T.J.Hockenson (ankle – injured reserve) 11 times in the Bears game, but Hockenson managed just six catches for 18 yards. Although Danny Amendola led all wideouts with eight targets, he caught just three balls for 32 yards. Blough had the most success with Kenny Golladay (4-158-1 on five targets). The pair hooked up on a 75-yard touchdown pass. Marvin Jones posted a 3-40-1 receiving line on six targets. Minnesota’s No. 1 cornerback, Xavier Rhodes, hasn’t been playing well lately, but he’ll still depress Golladay’s production a bit. The score projected for Jones, however, is done with low confidence.

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS

PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB David Blough 214 1 20 0 QB Matthew Stafford ------RB Bo Scarbrough 60 0 0 0 0 RB Ty Johnson 15 0 2 15 0 RB J.D. McKissic 12 0 4 32 0 WR Kenny Golladay 4 40 0 WR Marvin Jones 4 58 1 WR Danny Amendola 5 42 0 TE T.J. Hockenson ------TE Jesse James 1 7 0 TE Logan Thomas 2 20 0

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK Matt Prater 2 2 1 1 7

P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Lions 34 2 0 1 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP:  Detroit lost to Minnesota 42-30 at Ford Field.  Matthew Stafford threw for 364 yards and four touchdowns.  Kerryon Johnson (knee) amassed a 5-23-0 rushing line and a 0-0-0 receiving (one target).  Ty Johnson compiled a 10-29-0 rushing line and a 4-28-0 receiving line (four targets).  J.D. McKissic piled up a 5-29-0 rushing line and a 2-31-0 rec. line (three targets).  Kenny Golladay made one grab for 21 yards (two targets).  Marvin Jones hauled in 10 passes for 93 yards and four touchdowns (13 targets).  Danny Amendola logged eight receptions for 105 yards on 11 targets.  T.J. Hockenson caught three passes for 32 yards on five targets.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

INJURIES TO MONITOR: (chest), (hamstring)

BYE: Week 12

A frustrating road loss to the Seattle Seahawks this past Monday night left the Minnesota Vikings parked one game back of the Green Bay Packers (they currently led the NFC North) and only one game ahead of the surging Chicago Bears. I suspect the Vikings will have a letdown from the Seattle game and struggle in the first half against the Lions, but Minnesota likely will rally in the second half to pull out the win.

RUSHING MATCHUP – Even though Dalvin Cook (shoulder) wasn’t able to finish the Seahawks game, he still comes into this one ranked sixth in the NFL in rushing yards and first (tie) in rushing touchdowns. There is some risk associated with Cook this week, and it has nothing to do with a Detroit Lions defense that has yielded the 10th-most rushing yards, the seventh-most rushing touchdowns and the third-most running back fantasy points. Cook has insisted that he’ll play, but the tailback could receive a smaller workload or get pulled if/when Minnesota jumps out to a safe lead. Whatever happens, I think Alexander Maattison should receive enough touches to deserve flex consideration. If Mattison draws the start, he’s a rock- solid play.

PASSING MATCHUP – Since Week 5, usually has thrown for very good yardage and has tossed multiple touchdown passes in seven of his last eight games. The Lions have yielded the third-most passing yards and the sixth-most touchdown passes. While Cousins should have a nice outing, don’t expect huge numbers unless Minnesota falls behind in the first half and has to go pass heavy to pull out a victory in the second half. Cousins is a solid start.

The Vikings have insisted that Adam Thielen could return, but he hadn’t practiced at all heading into Friday morning. If he’s active, Thielen should be in starting lineups. Stefon Diggs has compiled just one game with 100-plus yards and a touchdown in his last four outings mainly because defenses can focus more on stopping him with Thielen sidelined. Back in Week 7, Diggs dropped a 7-143-0 receiving line on a Lions defense that has surrendered the seventh-most wideout fantasy points.

Thielen’s absence has given Kyle Rudolph’s fantasy value a nice boost. Since Week 9, Rudolph has averaged five targets per game and has scored at least once in four straight contetsts. He also has found the end zone at least once in five of his last six. Assuming Thielen sits once again, Rudolph is a solid play against a Detroit defense that has given up the 14th-most tight end fantasy points. If Thielen suits up, Rudolph is still worth a start, but he’ll have more potential for a bad outing due to a possible decrease in targets.

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS

PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Kirk Cousins 263 2 0 0 RB Dalvin Cook 65 1 2 17 0 RB 60 1 1 11 0 WR Stefon Diggs 7 104 1 WR Adam Thielen ------WR Bisi Johnson 3 44 0 WR Laquon Treadwell 1 17 0 TE Kyle Rudolph 5 52 1 TE Irv Smith 2 20 0

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK Dan Bailey 2 2 4 4 10

P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Vikings 13 5 2 1 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2019 Regular Season – Week 7  Minnesota outfought Detroit 42-30 at Ford Field.  Kirk Cousins threw for 338 yards and four touchdowns.  Dalvin Cook compiled a 25-142-2 rushing line and a 1-7-0 receiving line (two targets).  Alexander Mattison amassed a 7-18-0 rushing line and wasn’t targeted.  C.J. Ham logged a 1-9-0 rushing line and a 1-5-1 receiving line (one target).  Stefon Diggs caught seven passes for 143 yards (eight targets).  Adam Thielen reeled in one pass for 25 yards and one touchdown (two targets) before exiting the game early because of a hamstring injury.  Olabisi Johnson made four grabs for 40 yards and one touchdown (eight targets).  Kyle Rudolph made five grabs for 58 yards and one touchdown (six targets). (4-8) HOUSTON TEXANS (8-4)

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8 TH 1 :0 0 PM ET NRG STADIUM  HOUSTON, TX L I N E : HOU – 9 .0 OVER/UNDER: 42.5

2019 TEAM OFFENSIVE & DEFENSIVE MATCHUPS

SCOR. PTS/ RUSH RUSH RUSH PASS PASS PASS UNIT RANK RANK GM RANK YPG TD RANK YPG TD

BRONCOS OFFENSE 27 30 16.5 16 108.3 8 31 187.4 11 TEXANS DEFENSE 27 17 22.6 19 111.1 6 28 262.9 25

TEXANS OFFENSE 9 10 24.4 7 129.8 11 12 243.0 24 BRONCOS DEFENSE 11 9 19.8 20 113.7 7 5 210.6 14

DENVER BRONCOS

INJURIES TO MONITOR: Royce Freeman (ribs)

BYE: Week 10

In case you weren’t paying attention to all things Denver Broncos last week, rookie Drew Lock won his first start but didn’t light up the stat sheet. The Broncos steadily improving defense gave him a nice assist during the 23-20 victory over the . Expect Lock to have a fair share of rookie moments in his next two challenging matchups @ Houston Texans and @ before finishing up the season with two soft home matchups against the Detroit Lions and Oakland Raiders.

RUSHING MATCHUP – Royce Freeman has taken a back seat to Phillip Lindsay over the team's last three games, getting out-touched 52 to 22 since Week 11. Freeman hasn’t scored or cleared 50 combo yards in a contest while averaging seven touches per game. Lindsay has averaged 61 rushing yards per contest and gone scoreless, too. The Texans have been gashed on the ground during the last month, allowing the second-most rushing yards. However, look for Houston to focus on containing the Lindsay/Freeman duo and forcing Lock beat them with his arm, which the rookie can’t do yet. Lindsay and Freeman are weak plays.

PASSING MATCHUP – Drew Lock wasn’t able to light up an admittedly tough Chargers pass defense, throwing for just 134 yards and two touchdowns versus one interception. Lock’s favorite target was Courtland Sutton, who hauled in four of five targets for 74 yards and both of Lock’s scoring strikes. None of the other receivers cleared 15 receiving yards. Since we’re in the fantasy playoffs, I’m not going to dive into specific matchups since Lock clearly isn’t fantasy starter material. A Texans defense that has allowed the 12th-most wideout fantasy points will sell out to contain Sutton. He’s a very risky play with the potential for a bad game, but a garbage- time score isn’t out of the question. None of Denver’s wideouts or tight ends deserve starting consideraton.

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS

PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Drew Lock 159 1 27 0 RB Phillip Lindsay 70 0 3 23 0 RB Royce Freeman 34 0 4 30 0 RB Devontae Booker 8 0 0 0 0 WR Courtland Sutton 4 47 1 WR Tim Patrick 1 10 0 WR DaeSean Hamilton 2 14 0 WR Diontae Spencer 0 0 0 TE Noah Fant 2 15 0 TE Jeff Heuerman 3 20 0

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK Brandon McManus 4 4 1 1 13

P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Broncos 30 3 0 1 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2018 Regular Season – Week 9  Denver lost to Houston 19-17 at Mile High Stadium.  Case Keenum (Washington) passed for 290 yards and one touchdown.  Phillip Lindsay amassed a 17-60-0 rushing line and a 2-24-0 receiving line (three targets).  Royce Freeman missed the game because of an ankle injury.  Devontae Booker compiled a 3-15-1 rushing line and a 2-9-0 rec. line (four targets).  Courtland Sutton caught three passes for 57 yards (five targets).  Jeff Heuerman logged 10 receptions for 83 yards and one touchdown (11 targets).

HOUSTON TEXANS

INJURIES TO MONITOR: Will Fuller (hamstring)

BYE: Week 10

Defeating the New England Patriots last Sunday night is clearly the high point of the Houston Texans’ season right now. The victory left them atop the AFC South standings, one full game ahead of the surging Tennessee Titans and two full games ahead of the sagging Indianapolis Colts. The Texans are coming off an emotional victory and are ripe for a letdown this week. They also have a Week 15 matchup against the Titans on the schedule. This contest against the Denver Broncos has “trap game” written all over it.

RUSHING MATCHUP – Carlos Hyde didn't get on track against New England, amassing a season-worst 10-17-0 rushing line and a 1-5-0 receiving line. Up until the Patriots game, Hyde had averaged 19.5 carries and 73.5 rushing yards per outing. He also has found the end zone only once since Week 7. Duke Johnson, however, surprisingly made a fantasy impact against the Patriots, compiling five receptions for 54 yards and one touchdown on six targets. It was Johnson's third receiving score of 2019 and his fourth visit to the end zone this season. Since Hyde rarely catches passes, Johnson usually ends up with anywhere from zero to five receptions per contest. However, he has averaged just 8.7 touches and 56.6 total yards per game. Even though the Denver defense is ranked just 15th in running back fantasy points allowed, don't chase Johnson's score from last week. Expect mediocre-at-best production from him and Hyde.

PASSING MATCHUP – After watching Deshaun Watson carve up a respected New England defense with three touchdown passes and a touchdown reception, there's no question that the must-start Watson is playing at a high level right now. He also has racked up at least two total touchdowns in six of his last eight outings. Watson is a strong start against a Broncos defense that has allowed the 10th-most touchdown passes and the eighth-most quarterback fantasy points during the last month. Denver also has permitted at least 265 passing yards and two touchdown strikes in two of its last three games.

DeAndre Hopkins’ five receptions for 64 yards on eight targets against the Patriots snapped Hopkins' streak of five straight games with at least 80 receiving yards or at least one touchdown scored. In Will Fuller’s two games played since the speedster returned from a hamstring injury, he compiled a 7-140-0 receiving line on 11 targets against the Indianapolis Colts but was limited to just 1-2-0 on eight targets by the New England. He's still the ultimate boom-or-bust fantasy wideout play like Kenny Stills. The Broncos defense has yielded the fifth-fewest wideout fantasy points and the 12th-fewest scores to the position. Denver's No. 1 cornerback, Chris Harris, is expected to shadow Hopkins, so this is a potential boom game for Fuller. Are you feeling lucky?

Darren Fells logged a touchdown reception against New England, which was Fells' third scoring grab in his last five games played. During that stretch, however, Fells, operating in a timeshare with Jordan Akins, averaged just 3.4 targets per contest and cleared 24 receiving yards in just one outing. The Denver defense, since Week 10, has given up the 11th-most tight end fantasy points and two scoring grabs to the position, which went to Kyle Rudolph (Vikings) and Irv Smith (Vikings) in Week 11. Fells remains a touchdown-dependent boom-or-bust play, but he has a decent chance to boom this week based on the matchup.

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS

PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Deshaun Watson 238 2 30 1 RB Carlos Hyde 74 0 0 0 0 RB Duke Johnson 32 0 4 32 0 WR DeAndre Hopkins 6 67 1 WR Will Fuller 4 50 0 WR Kenny Stills 3 39 0 WR DeAndre Carter 0 0 0 TE Darren Fells 4 40 1 TE Jordan Akins 1 10 0

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK Ka’imi Fairbairn 3 3 3 3 12

P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Texans 10 6 2 1 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2018 Regular Season – Week 9  Houston squeaked past Denver 19-17 at Mile High Stadium.  Deshaun Watson threw for 213 yards and two scores, and rushed for 6-38-0.  Lamar Miller (knee) amassed a 12-21-0 rushing line and a 2-27-0 receiving line (two targets).  DeAndre Hopkins hauled in 10 passes for 105 yards and one score (12 targets).  Will Fuller missed the contest because of a knee injury.  Demaryius Thomas (Patriots) caught three passes for 61 yards (three targets).  Kenny Stills played for the Miami Dolphins last season.  Jordan Thomas logged one catch for seven yards and one touchdown (one target). BALTIMORE RAVENS (10-2) BUFFALO BILLS (9-3)

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8 TH 1 :0 0 PM ET NEW ERA FIELD  ORCHARD PARK, NY L I N E : BAL – 6 .0 OVER/UNDER: 43.5

2019 TEAM OFFENSIVE & DEFENSIVE MATCHUPS

SCOR. PTS/ RUSH RUSH RUSH PASS PASS PASS UNIT RANK RANK GM RANK YPG TD RANK YPG TD

RAVENS OFFENSE 2 1 33.8 1 207.8 18 25 212.9 26 BILLS DEFENSE 3 3 15.7 14 104.2 11 3 195.8 9

BILLS OFFENSE 17 19 21.4 5 137.9 12 23 215.1 17 RAVENS DEFENSE 9 5 18.2 6 94.9 11 13 228.5 10

BALTIMORE RAVENS

INJURIES TO MONITOR: Marquise Brown (ankle)

BYE: Week 8

A three-point home win over the San Francisco 49ers in very rainy conditions last week gave the Baltimore Ravens their eighth straight victory and proved that their trademark rushing attack isn’t going to break down if the weather is a factor. Baltimore is tied with the New England Patriots for the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed, but the Ravens beat the Patriots earlier this season.

RUSHING MATCHUP – San Francisco limited Mark Ingram to just 59 scoreless rushing yards, but the early-down grinder is averaging a solid 14 carries per contest on the season. Ingram has scoerd 12 touchdowns (nine rushing, three receiving), and, oddly, nine of them have come in road contests. Gus Edwards is averaging 8.4 carries per contest as a breather back. Ingram is a solid play against a Buffalo Bills defense that’s ranked 15th in rushing yards and 16th in rushing touchdowns allowed to enemy tailbacks.

PASSING MATCHUP – The Buffalo defense has surrendered the fourth-fewest passing yards and the second-fewest touchdown passes, but that shouldn’t stop you from keeping the must-start Lamar Jackson in your lineup. In his last five outings, Jackson passed for multiple scores four times with his per-game passing yardage ranging from only 105 to 223 yards. On the season, Jackson is averaging an insane 81.4 rushing yards per contest and has racked up seven rushing touchdowns. Four of them have come in the last five weeks.

Marquise Brown (6.0 targets per contest), limited to 1-1-0 in the 49ers game, should rebound only modestly since the Bills have yielded the sixth-fewest wideout fantasy points. Brown likely will get the Tre’Davious White treatment. Mark Andrews remains Jackson’s most reliable target. Andrews has scored at least once in three of his last four outings and compiled at least moderate yardage in each game. During the last two weeks, Buffalo has yielded the seventh-most tight end fantasy points, which is why Andrews is the favorite for an end zone visit.

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS

PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Lamar Jackson 176 1 90 1 RB Mark Ingram 86 1 3 20 0 RB Gus Edwards 32 0 0 0 0 RB Justice Hill 10 0 0 0 0 WR Marquise Brown 3 44 0 WR Willie Snead 4 40 0 WR Miles Boykin 1 10 0 TE Mark Andrews 5 44 1 TE Hayden Hurst 2 18 0

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK Justin Tucker 2 2 3 3 9

P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Ravens 24 5 1 1 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2018 Regular Season – Week 1  Baltimore shellacked Buffalo 47-3 at M&T Bank Stadium.  Joe Flacco (Broncos) threw for 236 yards and three touchdowns.  Lamar Jackson passed for 24 yards and logged a 7-39-0 rushing line in limited action.  Kenneth Dixon (free agent) amassed a 13-44-1 rushing line and wasn’t targeted.  Javorius Allen (Giants) cranked out a 4-17-1 rushing line and a 5-15-0 rec. line (six targets).  Alex Collins (free agent) compiled a 7-13-1 rushing line and a 1-6-0 rec. line (one target).  Willie Snead caught four passes for 49 yards and one touchdown (six targets).  Michael Crabtree (free agent) made three grabs for 38 yards and one score (six targets).  Mark Andrews logged three receptions for 31 yards (four targets).

BUFFALO BILLS

INJURIES TO MONITOR: Duke Williams (hamstring), Robert Foster (hamstring)

BYE: Week 6

Pounding the Dallas Cowboys in front of a national audience on Thanksgiving earned the Buffalo Bills their fourth win in the last five weeks and a big helping of respect. Barring a collapse or a significant injury, the Bills look like a cinch to make the playoffs as a Wild Card.

RUSHING MATCHUP – It’s still the Devin Singletary and Frank Gore show, even though Singletary has been the more productive runner by a big margin. During the last three weeks, Singletary has rushed for at least 63 yards per game and has found the end zone once (a receiving score) while Gore usually has toted the rock 11 or fewer times since Week 7. The Baltimore Ravens have permitted the seventh-fewest rushing yards but also the sixth-most rushing touchdowns. The speedy Singletary is a decent overall play with a good shot at a touchdown.

PASSING MATCHUP – Josh Allen has racked up at least two total touchdowns in eight consecutive games, and he has compiled at least 45 rushing yards or a rushing touchdwon in six straight outings. Allen’s passing production varies, depending on the effectiveness of the ground game, but he has never thrown for more than 266 yards. Baltimore has given up the 10th-fewest passing yards, the third-fewest touchdown passes and the fourth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks. Don’t expect a big game from Allen.

John Brown and Cole Beasley are the two wideouts that matter. Brown’s 3-26-0 receivng line on four targets versus the Cowboys was his worst outing of the season. Prior to that contest, he had racked up at least 75 receiving yards or hit pay dirt in five of six outings. Beasley gashed his former Dallas teammates with a season-best 6-110-1 receving line on seven targets, and he has either found the end zone or amassed at least 70 receiving yards in six of his last seven. The Ravens gave up the eighth-fewest wideout fantasy points during the last month. Brown isn’t going to light it up and is a risk for bad game against Jimmy Smith, but I think Beasley will hold his own versus Marlon Humphrey.

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Josh Allen 219 1 48 1 RB Devin Singletary 73 1 3 23 0 RB Frank Gore 28 0 0 0 0 WR John Brown 4 57 0 WR Cole Beasley 5 50 1 WR Duke Williams ------WR Isaiah McKenzie 4 32 0 WR Robert Foster 1 22 0 TE Dawson Knox 4 30 0 TE 1 5 0

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK Steven Hauschka 1 1 3 3 6

P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Bills 27 4 1 0 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2018 Regular Season – Week 1  Buffalo was blown out by Baltimore 47-3.  Josh Allen threw for 74 scoreless yards and logged a 4-26-0 rushing line.  LeSean McCoy (Chiefs) managed a 7-22-0 rushing line and a 1-(-1)-0 receiving line (three targets).  Zay Jones (Raiders) caught three passes for 26 yards on six targets. CINCINNATI BENGALS (1-11) (5-7)

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8 TH 1 :0 0 PM ET FIRSTENERGY STADIUM  CLEVELAND, OH L I N E : CLE – 7 .0 OVER/UNDER: 42.0

2019 TEAM OFFENSIVE & DEFENSIVE MATCHUPS

SCOR. PTS/ RUSH RUSH RUSH PASS PASS PASS UNIT RANK RANK GM RANK YPG TD RANK YPG TD

BENGALS OFFENSE 26 31 14.9 29 78.0 5 19 223.0 12 BROWNS DEFENSE 15 18 22.7 26 124.0 10 6 213.2 20

BROWNS OFFENSE 18 21 20.5 10 122.7 12 17 225.2 15 BENGALS DEFENSE 31 24 24.8 32 157.6 13 21 247.4 16

CINCINNATI BENGALS

INJURIES TO MONITOR: A.J. Green (ankle), John Ross (collarbone)

BYE: Week 9

The switch back from Ryan Finley to Andy Dalton is clearly the reason why the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the New York Jets to pick up win number one on the season. Dalton is clearly better than Finley but didn’t exactly light it up against Gang Green. Unless the Bengals surprise the Cleveland Browns, it looks like Cincinnati’s best chance for win number two comes in Week 16 against the Miami Dolphins. RUSHING MATCHUP – Joe Mixon notched his second rushing touchdown of the season this past Sunday, and he has amassed at least 70 combo yards or scored in four straight. On the season, Mixon is averaging 17.4 carries and 60.5 total yards per contest. Even though the Browns have allowed the third-fewest running back fantasy points during the last month, I still like Mixon for moderate combo yardage and a receiving score since Cleveland has also yielded just six rushing touchdowns all season.

PASSING MATCHUP – Making his first start since Week 8, Andy Dalton threw for 243 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions while connecting on just 59.5 percent of his throws. Dalton also had two likely touchdown catches wrecked by drops. The Browns defense has yielded the 13th-most passing yards but also the seventh-fewest touchdown passes during the last month, but Dalton has usually played well against Cleveland.

Tyler Boyd drew 10 targets from Dalton in the Jets game, which the slot wideout parlayed into a 5-59-1 receiving line. Boyd has found the end zone in two straight. Auden Tate was targeted seven times in the New York game, posting a 4-66-0 receiving line. While Tate usually has been good for moderate yardage, he hasn’t scored since Week 5. The likely return of John Ross (collarbone) probably will impact Tate but not Boyd. Tate hasn’t played since Week 4. Cleveland’s defense is ranked 13th in wideout fantasy points allowed during the last month.

In the Jets game, Dalton leaned way more on C.J. Uzomah (5-51-0 on six targets) than Tyler Eifert (1-12-0 on two targets). The Browns are ranked 14th in tight end fantasy ponits allowed, but Cleveland has struggled against the position at various times this season.

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS

PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Andy Dalton 262 3 10 0 RB Joe Mixon 73 0 3 21 1 RB Giovani Bernard 14 0 3 20 0 WR A.J. Green ------WR Tyler Boyd 6 64 1 WR Auden Tate 5 67 0 WR John Ross 2 20 0 WR Alex Erickson 1 10 0 TE Tyler Eifert 1 10 0 TE C.J. Uzomah 5 50 1

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK Randy Bullock 1 1 3 3 6

P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Bengals 27 3 1 1 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2018 Regular Season – Week 16  Cincinnati lost to Cleveland 26-18 at FirstEnergy Stadium.  Andy Dalton missed the game because of a thumb injury.  Jeff Driskel (Lions) passed for 133-2-0 and rushed for 5-21-0.  Joe Mixon amassed a 17-68-0 rushing line and a 2-10-0 receiving line (two targets).  Giovani Bernard didn’t log any carries and compiled a 2-0-0 receiving line (two targets).  A.J. Green sat out due to a toe injury.  Tyler Boyd missed the contest because of a knee injury.  John Ross caught one pass for three yards and one touchdown on five targets.  C.J. Uzomah made four grabs for 49 yards and one touchdown (five targets).

CLEVELAND BROWNS

INJURIES TO MONITOR: Baker Mayfield (hand), Odell Beckham (groin), Jarvis Landry (hip), David Njoku (wrist)

BYE: Week 7

The Cleveland Browns’ 20-13 loss to a team with a very depleted offense was a surprise that snapped Cleveland’s three-game winning streak last week. Playing much better than they did earlier in the season, the Browns have hit the soft part of their schedule with just the Cincinnati Bengals, @, Baltimore Ravens and @Cincinnati Bengals left. Finishing the season at .500 is a realistic goal for Cleveland.

RUSHING MATCHUP – Nothing new here. Averaging 19.8 carries per contest, Nick Chubb continues to handle a huge majority of the early-down touches while Kareem Hunt remains the passing-down and change-of-pace guy. Chubb has racked up three 100-yard outings in his last six games but has scored only once during that stretch. Since Hunt returned in Week 10, he has averaged 6.3 targets per outing. Hunt also has either caught at least six passes or scored in all four of his 2019 outings. Chubb and Hunt are both nice starting options since the Bengals have surrendered the fourth-most rushing yards, the eighth-most rushing touchdowns and the seventh- most fantasy points to running backs.

PASSING MATCHUP – Baker Mayfield’s streak of three straight games with multiple touchdown strikes came to an end against a solid Pittsburgh Steelers defense this past Sunday, but his hand injury probably was a factor, too. Mayfield is expected to suit up. While the Browns probably will attack mainly with their ground game, Mayfield should make some noise since Cincinnati has given up the 10th-most passing yards during the last month. There’s a hot receiver on the Browns, but it’s not Odell Beckham. During the last six weeks, Beckham has compiled at least 52 receivig yards in five of six games but has found the end zone only once. Jarvis Landry, however, has found the end zone five times and racked up at least 65 receiving yards in six straight. Cincinati is ranked 10th in wideout fanasy points allowed, but that’s only because teams have elected to run against them more often. Beckham and Lanrdy should both have good games. We didn’t project a score for Beckham, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he hit pay dirt.

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS

PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Baker Mayfield 277 2 25 0 RB Nick Chubb 110 1 2 12 0 RB Kareem Hunt 32 0 6 40 1 WR Odell Beckham 6 87 0 WR Jarvis Landry 7 78 1 WR Rashard Higgins 3 30 0 TE David Njoku 3 20 0 TE Demetrius Harris 1 10 0

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK Austin Seibert 2 2 3 3 9 1 P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Browns 24 5 1 1 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2018 Regular Season – Week 16  Cleveland defeated Cincinnati 26-18 at FirstEnergy Stadium.  Baker Mayfield threw for 284 yards and three scores, and posted a 6-16-0 rushing line.  Nick Chubb amassed a 19-112-0 rushing line and a 2-3-0 receiving line on three targets.  Jarvis Landry logged four receptions for 47 yards on eight targets.  Rashard Higgins caught six passes for 60 yards and one touchdown on seven targets.  David Njoku snagged three balls for 73 yards and one touchdown on four targets.  Darren Fells (Texans) made three grabs for 18 yards and one touchdown on three targets. WASHINGTON (3-9) GREEN BAY PACKERS (9-3)

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8 TH 1 :0 0 PM ET LAMBEAU FIELD  GREEN BAY, WI L I N E : GB – 1 2 .5 OVER/UNDER: 41.5

2019 TEAM OFFENSIVE & DEFENSIVE MATCHUPS

SCOR. PTS/ RUSH RUSH RUSH PASS PASS PASS UNIT RANK RANK GM RANK YPG TD RANK YPG TD

WASH. OFFENSE 32 32 14.4 20 99.4 5 32 163.0 11 G.B. DEFENSE 28 14 21.2 25 123.0 13 22 253.8 15

G.B. OFFENSE 22 11 24.1 19 101.4 13 14 238.6 22 WASH. DEFENSE 19 21 24.2 27 131.6 10 15 229.8 22

WASHINGTON

INJURIES TO MONITOR: Dwayne Haskins (wrist), Paul Richardson (hamstring)

BYE: Week 10

Washington has won two games in a row thanks to a rushing attack that’s powered by the one- two punch of Derrius Guice and Adrian Peterson. However, the Dwayne Haskins-led passing game remains a major work in progress and Washington’s defense is still leaky. RUSHING MATCHUP – The Derrius Guice/Adrian Peterson combo ran wild on the Carolina Panthers this past Sunday. Guice toted the rock 10 times for a season-high 129 yards and two touchdowns while Peterson carried 13 times for 99 yards and one touchdown, which was just his second of 2019. Chris Thompson made his return from a seven-week injury layoff due to turf toe, carrying three times for 14 yards and catching one pass for 15 yards. Expect Washington to use Guice and Peterson to attack a Green Bay Packers defense that has perrmitted the sixth-most rushing yards and the sixth-most fantasy points to running backs. The quicker Guice the favorte for a score, and Thompson’s role probably will stay small.

PASSING MATCHUP – In three of Dwayne Haskins’ four starts, he threw for close to 150 scoreless yards, but he lit up the New York Jets with a 214-2-1 passing line. The Packers have yielded the eighth-fewest quarterback fantasy points. None of the wideouts or tight ends are reliable plays with Haskins under center right now. Terry McLaurin hasn’t scored since Week 6. While he has amassed at least 65 receiving yards in two of his last three games, McLaurin won’t make much noise since Green Bay has allowed the seventh-fewest wideout fantasy points.

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS

PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Dwayne Haskins 188 0 14 0 RB Derrius Guice 74 1 2 17 0 RB Adrian Peterson 48 0 1 11 0 RB Chris Thompson 10 0 4 30 0 WR Terry McLaurin 4 46 0 WR Paul Richardson ------WR Trey Quinn 3 22 0 WR Kelvin Harmon 3 25 0 WR Steven Sims 1 10 0 TE Jeremy Sprinkle 3 27 0

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK Dustin Hopkins 2 2 1 1 7

P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Washington 34 3 0 0 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2018 Regular Season – Week 3  Washington downed Green Bay 31-17 at FedEx Field.  Alex Smith passed for 220 yards and two touchdowns.  Adrian Peterson compiled a 19-120-2 rushing line and wasn’t targeted.  Chris Thompson amassed a 6-17-0 rushing line and a 1-0-0 receiving line (two targets).  Paul Richardson hauled in one pass for 46 yards and one touchdown (two targets).  Jamison Crowder (Jets) made four grabs for 39 yards and one score on four targets.  Vernon Davis caught two balls for 70 yards (two targets).

GREEN BAY PACKERS

INJURIES TO MONITOR: Jamaal Williams (knee), Jimmy Graham (calf,wrist)

BYE: Week 11

Last week the Green Bay Packers rolled over the New York Giants, as expected, 31-13 to maintain a one-game lead over the Minnesota Vikings and a two-game lead over the Chicago Bears in the NFC North. This home matchup with Washington looks like an easy win before the Packers close the season with matchups against the Chicago Bears, @Minnesota Vikings and @ Detroit Lions.

RUSHING MATCHUP – In Aaron Jones’ last six games, he hasn’t toted the rock more than 13 times. His per-game rushing yardage has varied from a low of 18 to a high of 93, and Jones has scored just three times – all in one game – during that stretch. Jamaal Williams, during the last three weeks, has been the more consistent runner of the two. He has averaged 11 carries and 50 rushing yards per contest but didn’t hit pay dirt. Williams also caught 11 passes during that stretch. Both Jones and Williams have a chance to score and compile some nice yardage since Washington is ranked only 17th in fantasy points allowed to running backs, but Williams is the safer play of the two right now.

PASSING MATCHUP – Despite Green Bay’s emphasis on the run and the team’s undermanned receiver corps, Aaron Rodgers can still light up a soft defense. He dropped 243 passing yards and four touchdown strikes on the Giants this past Sunday. Rodgers will have a solid outing against a Washington defense that has permitted the ninth-most touchdown passes and the 13th- most quarterback fantasy points. Davante Adams is the only reliable receiver here. He has hit pay dirt three times in his last two outings and has either racked up at least 100 receiving yards or scored at least once in four of his last five. Washington is ranked only 17th in wideout fantasy points allowed.

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS

PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Aaron Rodgers 320 3 10 0 RB Aaron Jones 60 1 1 11 0 RB Jamaal Williams 50 0 5 38 1 WR Davante Adams 10 120 2 WR Allen Lazard 4 57 0 WR Geronimo Allison 3 30 0 WR M. Valdes-Scantling 2 20 0 WR Jake Kumerow 1 10 0 TE Jimmy Graham 4 34 0

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK Mason Crosby 2 2 4 4 10

P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Packers 13 5 2 1 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2018 Regular Season – Week 3  Green Bay lost to Washington 31-17 at FedEx Field.  Aaron Rodgers passed for 265 yards and two touchdowns.  Aaron Jones compiled a 6-42-0 rushing line and a 1-5-0 receiving line (one target).  Jamaal Williams amassed a 5-29-0 rushing line and a 2-16-0 receiving line (three targets).  Davante Adams hauled in seven passes for 52 yards and one touchdown (nine targets).  Geronimo Allison made two grabs for 76 yards and one touchdown on four targets.  Jimmy Graham caught five passes for 45 yards (seven targets). LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (4-8) JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (4-8)

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8 TH 4 :0 5 PM ET TIAA BANK FIELD  JACKSONVILLE, FL L I N E : LAC – 3 .0 OVER/UNDER: 43.0

2019 TEAM OFFENSIVE & DEFENSIVE MATCHUPS

SCOR. PTS/ RUSH RUSH RUSH PASS PASS PASS UNIT RANK RANK GM RANK YPG TD RANK YPG TD

CHARGERS OFFENSE 12 22 20.3 27 89.1 7 6 274.2 17 JAGUARS DEFENSE 18 22 24.3 28 136.6 17 11 223.8 16

JAGUARS OFFENSE 15 26 18.3 15 113.4 3 11 246.0 17 CHARGERS DEFENSE 4 10 20.1 18 109.9 9 4 199.3 17

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

INJURIES TO MONITOR: None

BYE: Week 12

A few lucky breaks here and there, and a 4-8 Los Angeles Chargers team probably would have a much better record. All of the Chargers’ losses are by seven or fewer points. While Melvin Gordon has rediscovered his 2018 form, the decision to dump now-former offensive boss Ken Whisenhunt hasn’t made much of a difference for the offense.

RUSHING MATCHUP – During Melvin Gordon’s last four games, he notched 20-plus carries three times and either scored or amassed at least 95 rushing yards in three of four outings. Gordon also hasn’t cleared three catches in a game. Austin Ekeler has averaged 12.5 touches and 81.3 total yards per outing with two receiving touchdowns. Gordon and Ekeler are both storng plays versus a drooping Jacksonville Jaguars defense that has given up the fifth-most rushing yards, the third-most rushing touchdowns and the ninth-most fantasy points to the running back position

PASSING MATCHUP – During Los Angeles’ last four games, Philip Rivers has thrown for at least 265 yards three times and tossed mulitiple touchdown passes two times, but Rivers’ eight interceptions in his last three games has made the Chargers triggerman a risk for an in-game benching if he starts committing turnovers in bunches again. Jacksonville has permitted the 11th- fewest passing yards and the 12th-fewest touchdown passes. Since the Chargers are expected to go run heavy, a huge outing from Rivers seems unlikely.

Keenan Allen, averaging 10 targets per contest during the last three weeks, has found the end zone in two straight games and compiled at least 68 receiving yards in all three contests played. Mike Williams is still looking for touchdown grab number on the season, but he has cracked the century mark in yardage twice in the last five weeks while averaging 6.0 targets per outing. The Jaguars have yielded the 13th-fewest wideout fantasy points, and Allen likely will face shadow coverage from A.J. Bouye.

The Chargers will need Hunter Henry to step up, but will he do so? Henry has scored just once since Week 6 but usually has been good for moderate yardage. The Jaguars are ranked 11th in tight end fantasy points allowed, but they have been burned by the position previously.

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS

PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Philip Rivers 242 2 0 0 RB Melvin Gordon 100 1 1 10 0 RB Austin Ekeler 40 0 6 52 1 WR Keenan Allen 5 48 0 WR Mike Williams 4 77 0 WR Jason Moore 1 13 0 TE Hunter Henry 4 42 1 TE Virgil Green 0 0 0

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK Michael Badgley 1 1 3 3 6 P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Chargers 23 4 2 0 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2017 Regular Season  Los Angeles lost to Jacksonville 20-17 at TIAA Bank Field.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

INJURIES TO MONITOR: Seth DeValve (oblique)

BYE: Week 10

The Jacksonville Jaguars have lost four in a row mainly because their offense is stuck in a scoring slump despite the benching of Nick Foles and the return of Gardner Minshew last week. Jacksonville has scored an average of just 11.8 points per outing since Week 9.

RUSHING MATCHUP – Leonard Fournette is ranked seventh among NFL running backs in carries (223), seventh in rushing yards (989), third in catches (65), fifth (tie) in receiving yards (444) and third in all purpose yards (1,443). Last week, he tallied only 38 rushing yards on 14 carries against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense that has been stingy against the run, but the must-start Fournette should get back on track. He's a strong play against a Los Angeles Chargers defense that has permitted the eighth-most running back fantasy points.

PASSING MATCHUP – With $88 million dollar man Nick Foles benched, we get to see more "Minshew Magic” with Gardner Minshew starting this week. On the season, he averaged 243.5 passing yards and 1.4 touchdown passes per game in 10 contests played. Minshew also tossed multiple scoring strikes in five outings, and the mobile triggerman averaged four carries and 24.3 rushing yards per contest. The Los Angeles Chargers, however, have given up the third-fewest passing yards and the 13th-fewest touchdown passes. An outing with moderate yardage and no more than two touchdown tosses seems likely for Minshew.

During Minshew's eight starts, D.J. Chark found the end zone at least once in four games and caught at least four passes in six of them. While Dede Westbrook averaged a solid 6.1 targets per game during Minshew's eight starts, Westbrook didn't find the end zone and cleared 80 receiving yards in only two games with one 100-yard outing. Chris Conley averaged 4.9 targets per contest and either cleared 80 receiving yards or scored two times. A Los Angeles Chargers defense that has permitted the fourth-fewest wideout fantasy points is usually tough against outside wideouts. Westbrook is the safest play in the slot.

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Nick Foles 246 1 40 0 RB Leonard Fournette 94 1 7 53 0 RB Ryquell Armstead 10 0 1 11 0 WR D.J. Chark 4 50 0 WR Dede Westbrook 6 56 1 WR Chris Conley 3 38 0 WR 1 10 0 TE Seth DeValve ------TE Ben Koyack 1 8 0 TE Nick O’Leary 2 20 0

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK Josh Lambo 3 3 2 2 11

P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Jaguars 24 5 2 0 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2017 Regular Season  Jacksonville slipped past Los Angeles 20-17 at TIAA Bank Field. PITTSBURGH STEELERS (7-5) ARIZONA CARDINALS (3-8-1)

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8 TH 4 :2 5 PM ET STATE FARM STADIUM  GLENDALE, AZ L I N E : PIT – 2 .0 OVER/UNDER: 43.5

2019 TEAM OFFENSIVE & DEFENSIVE MATCHUPS

SCOR. PTS/ RUSH RUSH RUSH PASS PASS PASS UNIT RANK RANK GM RANK YPG TD RANK YPG TD

STEELERS OFFENSE 28 24 19.7 26 90.8 6 29 200.5 15 CARDINALS DEFENSE 32 31 29.2 24 118.8 7 32 307.5 31

CARDINALS OFFENSE 23 20 21.2 14 114.1 11 22 217.7 14 STEELERS DEFENSE 5 6 18.8 12 103.7 5 7 213.5 19

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

INJURIES TO MONITOR: James Conner (shoulder), JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee, concussion)

BYE: Week 7 Even though the Pittsburgh Steelers have been starting their third-string quarterback and operating without their No. 1 running back and No. 1 wideout, head coach Mike Tomlin’s crew is still in the hunt for an AFC Wild Card. A Pittsburgh defense that’s top six in total defense and points allowed continues to carry the team.

RUSHING MATCHUP – Even though Jaylen Samuels has been drawing the starts, Benny Snell has been doing the heavy lifting in the backfield in James Conner’s absence. During the last two weeks, Snell, an early-down thumper, amassed rushing lines of 21-98-0 and 16-63-1, respectively. Since Week 9, Samuels has averaged 12 touches and 50.8 total yards per game. Snell is a must- start against an Arizona Cardinals defense that has allowed the eighth-most rushing yards and the 10th-most fantasy points to running backs. Samuels rarely scores and has been inconsistent. He’s a far riskier play.

PASSING MATCHUP – Devlin Hodges’ Week 13 start against the Cleveland Browns – he passed for 212-1-1 – was his best showing of the season. This matchup against a Cardinals defense that has coughed up the most passing yards and the most touchdown passes is as good as it gets, but Hodges lacks the skills and lacks enough receiver talent to exploit Arizona’s soft secondary. The only two receivers worth a look are James Washington and Vance McDonald. Washington has scored and racked up at least 90 yards in three of his last four, and Washington’s last two big games came with Hodges under center. While McDonald has been stuck on three or fewer catches for the last month, it’s his turn to take his best shot at an Arizona defense that has allowed the most tight end fantasy points. Starting McDonald takes a leap of faith, but the matchup is great.

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS

PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Devlin Hodges 243 2 0 0 RB James Conner ------RB Benny Snell 82 1 0 0 0 RB Jaylen Samuels 24 0 5 43 0 RB Trey Edmunds 12 0 0 0 0 WR JuJu Smith-Schuster ------WR James Washington 5 78 1 WR Diontae Johnson 3 30 0 WR Johnny Holton 1 12 0 WR Tevin Jones 1 10 0 TE Vance McDonald 6 62 1 TE Nick Vannett 1 8 0

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK Chris Boswell 2 2 3 3 9 P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Steelers 20 5 2 0 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2015 Regular Season  Pittsburgh defeated Arizona 25-13 at Heinz Field.

ARIZONA CARDINALS

INJURIES TO MONITOR: None

BYE: Week 12

Prior to a 34-7 beatdown at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams this past Sunday, a promising Arizona Cardinals offense had scored at least 25 points in each of its last three games. A leaky Arizona defense that’s ranked 32 in total defense and 31st in points allowed remains a problem.

RUSHING MATCHUP – With Kenyan Drake, David Johnson and Chase Edmonds all active for the Rams game, Drake drew the start and handled 15 touches, Johnson logged six touches and Edmonds didn’t receive any touches, which was a surprise. We can only assume that Drake is the starter to close out the season, and Edmonds, who impressed earlier in the year, has been demonted to third string. Maybe that will change, maybe it won’t. The Pittsburgh Steelers defense has allowed the fifth-fewest running back fantasy points. Don’t expect big numbers from Drake.

PASSING MATCHUP – Like most rookie quarterbacks, Kyler Murray has had his ups and downs, but this talented dual-threat triggerman is loaded with potential. He posted a soft 163-0-1 passing line against an aggressive Los Angeles defense last week. Don’t expect Murray to do much damage against a Pittsburgh defense that has yielded the seventh-fewest passing yards and the sixth-fewest quarterback fantasy points.

When facing defenses that rate from average to tough, Christian Kirk and Larry Fitzgerald usually struggle. In Week 10, Kirk gashed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a 6-138-3 receiving line, but the second-year pro didn’t clear 45 receiving yards or score in three other games played during the last month. Fitzgerald, from Week 11 through Week 13, either compiled moderate yardage or scored in three straight. Kirk has the best chance for a score against a Steelers defense that’s ranked 12th in wideout fantasy points allowed, but he and all the Cardinals fantasy stars are also risks for bad outings.

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Kyler Murray 210 1 49 1 RB Kenyan Drake 50 0 4 28 0 RB David Johnson 25 0 3 20 0 RB Chase Edmonds 10 0 1 11 0 WR Larry Fitzgerald 5 50 0 WR Christian Kirk 5 67 1 WR Andy Isabella 2 24 0 WR KeeSean Johnson 2 20 0 TE Charles Clay 1 10 0 TE Maxx Williams 0 0 0

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK Zane Gonzalez 1 1 2 2 5

P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Cardinals 27 5 1 1 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2018 Regular Season  Arizona lost to Pittsburgh 25-13 at Heinz Field. TENNESSEE TITANS (7-5) OAKLAND RAIDERS (6-6)

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8 TH 4 :2 5 PM ET OAKLAND–ALAMEDA COUNTY COLISEUM  OAKLAND, CA L I N E : TEN – 3 .0 OVER/UNDER: 47.5

2019 TEAM OFFENSIVE & DEFENSIVE MATCHUPS

SCOR. PTS/ RUSH RUSH RUSH PASS PASS PASS UNIT RANK RANK GM RANK YPG TD RANK YPG TD

TITANS OFFENSE 24 15 23.0 9 125.4 14 27 204.3 19 RAIDERS DEFENSE 20 28 27.0 11 103.6 11 24 258.2 27

RAIDERS OFFENSE 16 23 19.8 10 122.7 10 15 232.1 17 TITANS DEFENSE 21 7 19.5 10 102.0 8 27 260.1 18

TENNESSEE TITANS

INJURIES TO MONITOR: A.J. Brown (calf), Adam Humphries (ankle), Tajae Sharpe (hamstring)

BYE: Week 11 With Ryan Tannehill now 5-1 as a starter, the Tennessee Titans are parked in second place in the AFC South, one game behind the division-leading Houston Texans and chugging along in the thick of the playoff hunt. With a home matchup against the Texans set for Week 15, the Titans could try to mail this one in. If Josh Jacobs doesn’t suit up for a sputtering Oakland Raiders offense that has scored a combined 12 points in the last two weeks, Tennessee could be content to play this one as a low-scoring defensive battle.

RUSHING MATCHUP – Derrick Henry has either rushed for at least 100 yards or hit pay dirt at least once in 10 of 12 contests played while averaging 20.8 touches, 111.7 total yards and 1.0 touchdown per game. He has caught just 17 passes on the season, but nobody really cares about Henry's lack of receiving chops. He's a strong play against an Oakland defense that has surrendered the eighth-most rushing yards, the third-most rushing touchdowns and the seventh-most running back fantasy points during the last month. If the Raiders don’t put up a fight, game script would favor a huge workload for Henry.

PASSING MATCHUP – In six starts, Ryan Tannehill has tossed multiple touchdown passes in five games, logged two 300-yard outings, rushed for three touchdowns and racked up at least two total touchdowns in all six contests. Even though Henry is the centerpiece of the Tennessee offense, look for the Titans to give Tannehill the green light to challenge a Raiders secondary that's ranked 15th in passing yards and 16th in touchdown passes allowed during the last month. However, if Oakland’s offense pulls a no-show, the Titans could dial back the throwing and lean on Henry. Low volume passing is a concern for Tannehill.

With Tannehill slinging the rock, Corey Davis has gone four straight games without scoring or clearing 50 yards. On the season, he has found the end zone twice and cleared 78 receiving yards in just two games. A.J. Brown, averaging 5.2 targets per game, has either cleared 60 receiving yards (he notched one 100-yard game) or hit pay dirt at least once in four of six outings. However, Brown's week-to-week production has been boom or bust. The Raiders have allowed the fourth-fewest wideout fantasy points during the last month, but Davis and Brown should draw some extra targets with Adam Humphries (ankle) out and Tajae Sharpe (hamstring) banged up. Oakland has permitted the sixth- most tight end fantasy points, but Tannehill hasn’t been using Jonnu Smith regularly.

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS

PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Ryan Tannehill 230 2 20 0 RB Derrick Henry 105 1 0 0 0 RB Dion Lewis 10 0 2 14 0 WR Corey Davis 5 67 1 WR A.J. Brown 5 78 1 WR Adam Humphries ------WR Tajae Sharpe 2 20 0 TE Jonnu Smith 4 40 0 TE Anthony Firkser 1 11 0

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK Ryan Succop 2 2 3 3 9

P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Titans 17 5 1 1 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2017 Regular Season  Tennessee lost to Oakland 26-16 at Nissan Stadium.

OAKLAND RAIDERS

INJURIES TO MONITOR: Josh Jacobs (shoulder), Hunter Renfrow (rib, lung)

BYE: Week 6

A struggling Oakland Raiders offense that has scored a combined 12 points in the last two weeks may not have the services of Josh Jacobs. A mediocre Derek Carr-led passing attack has pulled a disappearing act in three straight games and probably won’t be able to carry the offensive load if Jacobs sits. It could be a long day for Jon Gruden and company against an improved Tennessee Titans team.

RUSHING MATCHUP – Josh Jacobs (shoulder), the centerpiece of the Raiders offense, has either found the end zone or racked up at least 100 rushing yards in five of his last seven games. Jacobs has been playing with a broken shoulder that’s really starting to bother him. The rookie is a true game-time decision. If Jacobs sits, look for the Raiders to use DeAndre Washington as the primary early-down runner with Jalen Richard sprinkled in. The Titans defense has allowed the 10th-fewest rushing yards, but Tennessee also has permited seven running back scores in road contests. If Jacobs plays, he’s obviously a risk not to finish the game. If Washington starts, he’s worth a look as a low-level flex option.

PASSING MATCHUP – During the last month, the struggling Derek Carr has tossed one or zero touchdown passes in four straight games and cleared 222 passing yards in only one contest. Carr continues to struggle pushing the ball downfield and connecting with his wideouts, too. A banged-up Titans secondary has surrendered the sixth-most passing yards. Even if Carr has to carry a Jacobs-less offense, it’s hard to trust the Silver and Black triggerman in playoff lineups because he’s simply not playing well. Darren Waller hasn’t scored since Week 8, but he has cleared 75 receiving yards in two of his last three outings. Waller has a good chance to hit pay dirt since Tennessee has permited the eighth-most tight end fantasy points. The Titans also have yielded the third-most wideout fantasy points in the last month, but the Carr-to-Tyrell-Williams connection is stone cold right now. Williams has caught just three passes in his last two games. Williams could surprise against the Titans or just as easily have a bad game.

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS

PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Derek Carr 242 1 0 0 RB Josh Jacobs 40 0 0 0 0 RB DeAndre Washington 60 1 1 11 0 RB Jalen Richard 15 0 4 30 0 WR Tyrell Williams 4 57 0 WR Hunter Renfrow ------WR Zay Jones 3 30 0 WR Marcell Ateman 1 11 0 TE Darren Waller 7 73 1 TE Foster Moreau 3 30 0

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK Daniel Carlson 1 1 2 2 5

P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Raiders 27 3 0 1 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2017 Regular Season  Oakland defeated Tennessee 26-16 at Nissan Stadium. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (8-4) NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (10-2)

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8 TH 4 :2 5 PM ET GILLETTE STADIUM  FOXBOROUGH, MA L I N E : NE – 3 .0 OVER/UNDER: 48.5

2019 TEAM OFFENSIVE & DEFENSIVE MATCHUPS

SCOR. PTS/ RUSH RUSH RUSH PASS PASS PASS UNIT RANK RANK GM RANK YPG TD RANK YPG TD

CHIEFS OFFENSE 4 3 29.0 24 94.5 12 3 290.2 24 PATRIOTS DEFENSE 2 1 12.1 5 94.5 5 2 163.5 8

PATRIOTS OFFENSE 14 6 26.8 21 96.3 13 8 264.4 19 CHIEFS DEFENSE 25 16 22.1 30 141.3 12 16 230.8 18

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

INJURIES TO MONITOR: Damien Williams (ribs), Darrel Williams (hamstring) BYE: Week 12

Winners of three of their last four games, the Kansas City Chiefs hold a one-game lead over the Oakland Raiders in the AFC West standings. However, it looks like Kansas City is out of the running for the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed. With the Denver Broncos, @Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Chargers left on the schedule, a loss to the New England Patriots won’t doom the Chiefs’ playoff hopes.

RUSHING MATCHUP – Damien Williams (ribs) and Darrel Williams (hamstring) have both been ruled out, so expect Kansas City to use a timeshare comprised of senior partner LeSean McCoy and junior partner Darwin Thompson. In a game of this importance, I suspect Andy Reid will give the bulk of the backfield duties to the veteran McCoy. Thompson could surprise, but I don’t have enough faith in that happening to recommend him as a flex option in the fantasy playoffs. The New England defense has allowed the sixth-fewest rushing yards, zero rushing touchdowns and the ninth-fewest fantasy points to the running back position. There’s a chnace that either McCoy or Thompson could notch a rushing touchdowm. Which one? That’s too hard to predict.

PASSING MATCHUP – Patrick Mahomes is more than capable of lighting up a defense. Back in Week 10, he dropped 446 passing yards and three touchdown strikes on the Tennessee Titans. Mahomes, however, is coming of two of his worst outings of the season. Two weeks ago, he passed for 182-1-1 versus the Los Angeles Chargers and threw for 175-1-0 against the Oakland Raiders this past Sunday. Deshaun Watson (Texans) chipped away at the Patriots’ mystique by throwing three touchdown passes against them last week, but New England is much tougher on defense at home. The Patriots have surrendered the second-fewest passing yards and the fewest touchdown tosses. New England will scheme to contain Tyreek Hill with Stephon Gilmore and company as much as possible, which is a big reaosn why you should expect just a moderate outing at best from Mahomes. Three weeks ago, Hill posted a goose egg against the Chargers. This past Sunday, he managed just 5-55-0 versus the Oakland Raiders.

Four of the seven touchdown passes that the Partriots have allowed this season went to tight ends. Even though New England has yielded the seventh-fewest tight end fantasy points, the Chiefs will need the must-start Travis Kelce to elevate his game and deliver, and he will. Sammy Watkins hasn’t scored since Week 1, and his receiving yardage numbers have dropped three weeks in a row. Mecole Hardman is fast, but the boom-or-bust guy leaves a big hole in your lineup if he doesn’t catch a long touchdwn pass. Of this group, only Kelce is a safe play.

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS

PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Patrick Mahomes 254 2 0 0 RB Darwin Thompson 44 0 3 20 0 RB LeSean McCoy 40 0 5 38 1 RB Damien Williams ------RB Darrel Williams ------WR Tyreek Hill 3 44 0 WR Sammy Watkins 3 30 0 WR Mecole Hardman 2 28 0 WR Demarcus Robinson 1 10 0 TE Travis Kelce 8 84 1

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK Harrison Butker 3 3 2 2 11

P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Chiefs 24 5 1 1 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2018-2019 Playoffs – AFC Championship  Kansas City lost to New England 37-31 in overtime at Arrowhead Stadium.  Patrick Mahomes threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns.  Damien Williams compiled a 10-30-1 rushing line and a 5-66-2 receiving line (eight targets).  Tyreek Hill caught one pass for 42 yards (three targets).  Sammy Watkins logged four receptions for 114 yards (eight targets).  Demarcus Robinson made one grab for 27 yards (one target).  Travis Kelce reeled in three passes for 23 yards and one touchdown (five targets).

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

INJURIES TO MONITOR: Julian Edelman (shoulder), Mohamed Sanu (ankle)

BYE: Week 10

It’s not often that you see the mighty New England Patriots get humbled on national television, but that’s what the Houston Texans did to them during a 28-22 victory on Sunday Night Football. The shocking part about the Texans game was that New England coughed up four touchdown passes (three by Deshaun Watson and one by DeAndre Hopkins) after giving up just four during the first three months of the season. By the way, the Patriots are just one game ahead of the Bufflao Bills in the AFC East. Tom Brady and company need to run the table to have a chance at claiming the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed.

RUSHING MATCHUP – Offensive line injuries go a long way toward explaining why New England’s ground game hasn’t been as effective as it was in 2018. Sony Michel hasn’t found the end zone since Week 7 and has been held under 50 rsuhing yards in four of his last six. With Michel looking pedestrian in the Houston game, James White erupted with 14-79-0 rushing and 8-98-2 receiving. The Kansas City Chiefs defense has allowed the second-most rushing yards and the most fantasy points to the running back position, but Michel and White come with risk. Michel hasn’t been lighting it up on the ground, as noted, and still doesn’t catch many passes. Will he finally erupt in this great matchup? Consider him a boom-or-bust play. White’s usage as a receiver will depend on game script and the effectiveness of the ground game. I think White will have a solid game as the safer pick of the two.

PASSING MATCHUP – Before you start pointing the finger at Tom Brady for the Patriots losing to Houston, keep in mind that he passed for 326-3-1 against the Texans, which was Brady’s best outing since he dropped 348-3-1 on Washington in Week 5. Assuming New England’s ground game has at least moderate success – I think it will – Brady won’t have to light it up. Julian Edelman, coming off his sixth game in the last two weeks with at least 80 receiving yards or at least one scoring grab, is a must-start even though the Chiefs have allowed the third- fewest wideout fantasy points. The other England receivers are too unreliable to trust.

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS

PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Tom Brady 279 1 0 0 RB Sony Michel 60 1 0 0 0 RB James White 60 1 5 44 0 RB Rex Burkhead 10 0 2 14 0 WR Julian Edelman 7 73 1 WR Phillip Dorsett 2 26 0 WR Mohamed Sanu 4 44 0 WR Jakobi Meyers 3 38 0 WR N'Keal Harry 0 0 0 TE Ben Watson 4 40 0

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK Nick Folk 1 1 3 3 6

P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Patriots 23 5 1 1 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2018-2019 Playoffs – AFC Championship  New England outfought Kansas City 37-31 in overtime at Arrowhead Stadium.  Tom Brady passed for 348 yards and one touchdown.  Sony Michel compiled a 29-113-2 rushing line and wasn’t targeted.  James White amassed a 6-23-0 rushing line and a 4-49-0 receiving line (six targets).  Rex Burkhead amassed a 12-41-2 rushing line and a 4-23-0 receiving line (four targets).  Julian Edelman logged seven receptions for 96 yards (10 targets).  Rob Gronkowski (retired) made six grabs for 79 yards (11 targets).  Phillip Dorsett hauled in one pass for 29 yards and one touchdown (three targets).

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (10-2) LOS ANGELES RAMS (7-5)

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8 TH 8 :2 0 PM ET LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM  LOS ANGELES, CA L I N E : P I C K E M ’ OVER/UNDER: 47.0

2019 TEAM OFFENSIVE & DEFENSIVE MATCHUPS

SCOR. PTS/ RUSH RUSH RUSH PASS PASS PASS UNIT RANK RANK GM RANK YPG TD RANK YPG TD

SEAHAWKS OFFENSE 3 5 27.4 3 143.7 12 10 246.6 26 RAMS DEFENSE 12 13 20.8 13 104.2 9 10 222.8 18

RAMS OFFENSE 10 12 23.6 25 94.2 14 5 275.4 13 SEAHAWKS DEFENSE 24 23 24.4 8 99.6 13 29 269.3 15

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

INJURIES TO MONITOR: Tyler Lockett (illness), Luke Willson (hamstring) BYE: Week 11

Riding a five-game winning streak that includes victories over the San Francisco 49ers (Week 10) and the Minnesota Vikings (Week 13), the Seattle Seahawks are tied with the 49ers atop the NFC West. The Seahawks are also parked in a three-way tie with San Francisco and the New Orleans Saints for the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed. Back in Week 5, Seattle defeated the Los Angeles Rams 30-29 on a misssed Greg Zuerlein field goal try as time expired.

RUSHING MATCHUP – It looks like we have a committee backfield in Seattle. During the team’s Monday night victory over the Minnesota Vikings, Chris Carson got the start and amassed a 23-102-1 rushing line and a 1-7-0 receiving line while Rashaad Penny compiled a 15- 74-1 rushing line and a 4-33-1 receiving line. While Carson remains the lead runner, Penny clearly has carved out a bigger role. The Los Angeles defense is ranked 13th in rushing yards allowed and 11th in running back fantasy points allowed. The Rams also have held all but one visiting tailback to 70 or fewer rushing yards. I still like Carson and Penny to both find the end zone again – Seattle usually runs well even in tough matchups – but don’t expect big yardage.

PASSING MATCHUP – Russell Wilson passed for 240 or fewer yards and for two or fewer touchdowns in his last three starts because the ground game was very productive. Tyler Lockett, battling the flu, is coming off two straight dud outings. He compiled just 1-38-0 on two targets against the Philadelphia Eagles and a 0-0-0 recieivng line on three targets versus the Minnesota Vikings. D.K. Metcalf, averaging 8.0 targets per game in his last four outings, is coming on. He either racked up at least 70 receiving yards or scored in three of his last four. Los Angeles has surrendered the eighth-fewest passing yards but is ranked only 17th in touchdown passes allowed. Lower your expectations for Wilson especially because Jalen Ramsey likely will shadow Lockett. The on-the-rise Metcalf has a shot at a solid outing with upside for more. Even though the Rams are ranked 10th in tight end fantasy points allowed, I still like Jacob Hollister since Los Angeles will clamp down on Seattle’s key wideouts.

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS

PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Russell Wilson 261 1 29 0 RB Chris Carson 70 1 4 33 0 RB Rashaad Penny 67 1 2 22 0 RB C.J. Prosise 5 0 1 8 0 WR Tyler Lockett 4 40 0 WR D.K. Metcalf 4 77 0 WR Josh Gordon 1 15 0 WR Jaron Brown 1 12 0 TE Jacob Hollister 5 54 1 TE Luke Willson ------FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK Jason Myers 2 2 3 3 9

P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Seahawks 23 5 2 1 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2019 Regular Season – Week 5  Seattle outdueled Los Angeles 30-29 at CenturyLink Field.  Russell Wilson threw for 268 yards and four scores, and logged an 8-32-0 rushing line.  Chris Carson pounded out a 27-118-0 rushing line and a 1-5-1 receiving line (two targets).  Rashaad Penny compiled a 6-18-0 rushing line and a 2-31-0 receiving line (two targets).  Tyler Lockett caught four passes for 51 yards and one touchdown (four targets).  D.K. Metcalf made two grabs for 44 yards and one touchdown (three targets).  David Moore hauled in one pass for 10 yards and one touchdown (two targets).  Will Dissly logged four catches for 81 yards (four targets).

LOS ANGELES RAMS

INJURIES TO MONITOR: Gerald Everett (knee)

BYE: Week 9

The Los Angeles Rams looked like their prolific 2018 selves when they pounded the Arizona Cardinals 34-7 this past Sunday. However, keep in mind that Los Angeles took a 45-6 beatdown at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens two weeks ago. With the Rams sitting at 7-5 in the NFC West while the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francico 49ers are perched atop the division with identical 10-2 records, Los Angeles needs to win this game to keep its playoff hopes alive.

RUSHING MATCHUP – With the Rams’ passing attack failing to click on all cylinders in tougher matchups, the team has been using Todd Gurely more in recent weeks. In two of his last three outings, Gurley toted the rock at least 19 times, racked up at least 95 yards and scored. However, three receptions remains his ceiling in the pasisng game. Malcolm Brown has been stealing only about half a dozen touches per contest since Los Angeles’ Week 9 bye. The Seattle defense has given up the fifth-fewest rushing yards to running backs but also the fifth-most rushing touchdowns to the position. Gurley will take care of business at home.

PASSING MATCHUP – Jared Goff definitely looked good throwing for 424 yards and two touchdowns against the barely there Cardinals defense this past Sunday. While Goff has been able to carve up soft defenses, he has struggled against the more aggressive ones. Poor blocking on the Los Angeles line has been a huge problem. The Seahawks, however, have permitted the fourth-most passing yards, but they’re ranked just ninth in touchdown passes allowed. Goff won’t light it up, but he should do okay with one touchdown pass for sure…maybe two.

Cooper Kupp’s week-to-week production has been up and down since mid-October, but he’s still the most reliable fantasy option in the Los Angeles receiver corps. Kupp scored in the Cardinals game (6-65-1 on six targets), and Goff’s favorite receiver should get back on track. Robert Woods erupted in the Arizona game, racking up a 13-172-0 receiving line on 18 targets. In his last five games played, Woods, still scoreless on the season, racked up at least 80 receiving yards in four of his last five. Brandin Cooks, however, was the only Rams pass catcher to do very little against the Cardinals (2-24-0). He has caught four passes combined in his last three games as a deep threat for a quarterback who isn’t throwing deep much. Kupp and Woods look like the top plays versus a Seahawks defense that’s ranked 16th in wideout fantasy points allowed. I don’t recommend Cooks.

Tyler Higbee erupted against the Arizona, too (they can’t contain tight ends) for 7-107-1 on eight targets while Gerald Everett (knee) was sidelined. Everett will sit again, and Higbee is a sneaky start since Seattle has coughed up the second-most tight end fantasy points.

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS

PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Jared Goff 280 2 0 0 RB Todd Gurley 80 1 3 18 0 RB Malcolm Smith 15 0 0 0 0 RB Darrell Henderson 5 0 0 0 0 WR Brandin Cooks 2 38 0 WR Cooper Kupp 8 84 1 WR Robert Woods 7 80 0 WR Josh Reynolds 1 10 0 TE Gerald Everett ------TE Tyler Higbee 5 50 1

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK Greg Zuerlein 1 1 3 3 6

P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Rams 27 4 0 1 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2019 Regular Season – Week 5  Los Angeles lost to Seattle 30-29 at CenturyLink Field.  Jared Goff passed for 395 yards and one touchdown.  Todd Gurley compiled a 15-51-2 rushing line and a 3-6-0 receiving line (five targets).  Brandin Cooks caught one pass for 29 yards (three targets) and logged one carry for 27 yards.  Robert Woods reeled in five passes for 48 yards (nine targets).  Cooper Kupp made nine grabs for 117 yards and one touchdown (17 targets).  Gerald Everett reeled in seven passes for 136 yards (11 targets).

NEW YORK GIANTS (2-10) PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (5-7)

MONDAY, DECEMBER 9 TH 8 :15 PM ET LINCOLN FINANCIAL FIELD  PHILADELPHIA, PA L I N E : PHI – 9 .5 OVER/UNDER: 46.5

2019 TEAM OFFENSIVE & DEFENSIVE MATCHUPS

SCOR. PTS/ RUSH RUSH RUSH PASS PASS PASS UNIT RANK RANK GM RANK YPG TD RANK YPG TD

GIANTS OFFENSE 25 25 19.2 23 95.5 6 20 221.2 20 EAGLES DEFENSE 14 20 23.7 4 91.0 11 18 241.7 22

EAGLES OFFENSE 20 16 22.8 13 118.8 10 18 223.6 20 GIANTS DEFENSE 26 29 28.2 21 114.2 13 25 258.6 22

NEW YORK GIANTS INJURIES TO MONITOR: Danny Jones (ankle), Golden Tate (concussion), Evan Engram (foot)

BYE: Week 11

The New York Giants are trudging along with an eight-game losing streak. They would have to win three of their last four outings to match the 5-11 record from last season, which was head coach Pat Shurmur’s first with the team. That’s why some think Shurmur is on the hot seat. With Daniel Jones (ankle) parked on the injury shelf, it looks like Eli Manning will get a short farewell tour after all.

RUSHING MATCHUP – Lots of folks think Saquon Barkley returned too quickly from the high ankle sprain that he suffered in Week 3. After watching him average under 4.0 yards per carry from Week 8 through Week 12, Barkley actually started to look like his old self during his team’s clash with the Green Bay Packers this past Sunday. Barkley flashed his jets on a 27-yard reception and his trademark tackle-breaking ability and spin moves when running in traffic. He also averaged a solid 4.4 yards per carry across 19 totes of the rock for 83 yards. The Philadelphia Eagles have permitted the fourth-fewest rushing yards but also the ninth-most receptions to the running back position. Barkley should have a nice outing as a receiver and safety valve for Manning.

PASSING MATCHUP – Eli Manning is likely playing some of his final snaps in a Giants uniform. In case you’ve forgotten, the pocket passer made two season-opening starts, throwing for 306-1-0 against the Dallas Cowboys and 250-1-2 versus the Buffalo Bills. While the numbers don’t look terrible, Manning’s arm looked worn out at times or very close to it. You’re smart enough to know that he’s not a fantasy option for your playoff team.

I’m expecting Manning to rely heavily on dump offs to Barkley, as noted, and short throws to Evan Engram. The Eagles defense is ranked 18th in passing yards allowed and 22nd in touchdown passes allowed. Philadelphia also has coughed up the fifth-most wideout fantasy points, but the Eagles have defended the pass way better at home lately. Did you know that Philadelphia has given up only two passing touchdowns in its last five home contests? Expect moderate production from Sterling Shepard. I don’t think Manning has the arm strength to target Darius Slayton deep regularly. The Eagles’ top two cornerbacks (Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills) have been playing well (aside from the Miami game), so slot guy Golden Tate (revenge narrative) is the favorite for a touchdown grab against softer coverage.

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS

PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Eli Manning 253 2 0 0 QB Daniel Jones ------RB Saquon Barkley 62 0 7 58 1 RB Wayne Gallman 10 0 1 7 0 WR Sterling Shepard 5 54 0 WR Golden Tate 5 50 1 WR Darius Slayton 2 24 0 WR Cody Latimer 0 0 0 TE Evan Engram 6 60 0

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK Aldrick Rosas 3 2 2 2 8

P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Giants 27 4 1 1 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2018 Regular Season – Week 12  New York lost to Philadelphia 25-22 at Lincoln Financial Field.  Eli Manning passed for 297 yards and one touchdown.  Saquon Barkley compiled a 13-101-1 rushing line and a 7-41-1 receiving line (eight targets).  Odell Beckham (Browns) made five grabs for 85 yards (nine targets).  Sterling Shepard caught four passes for 37 yards (six targets).  Evan Engram missed the game because of a hamstring injury.  Rhett Ellison made four grabs for 77 yards (six targets).

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

INJURIES TO MONITOR: Carson Wentz (hand), Jordan Howard (shoulder), Nelson Agholor (knee), Zach Ertz (hamstring)

BYE: Week 10

The Philadelphia Eagles’ surprising 37-31 loss to the Miami Dolphins wasn’t a death blow to their playoff chances, but head coach Doug Pederson’s crew has run out of wiggle room. The Eagles need to run the table with their remaining schedule – New York Giants, @Washington, Dallas Cowboys and @New York Giants – to go 9-7, which would give them a decent shot at a Wild Card.

RUSHING MATCHUP – At last check, Jordan Howard (shoulder) hadn’t been cleared for contact, but keep a close eye on his status Sunday morning. Howard’s availability obviously will impact Miles Sanders’ workload. If Howard is active and suits up, he’ll probably be limited. With Howard parked on the injury shelf during the last three weeks, Sanders averaged 17 touches and 79.33 combo yards per game with one touchdown scored. The Giants defense has permitted the ninth-most rushing yards to enemy tailbacks, and the G-Men are ranked only 16th in fantasy points allowed to the position. If Howard is a no-go, Sanders is a strong play.

PASSING MATCHUP – It took a matchup with the Miami Dolphins for it to happen, but Carson Wentz finally snapped his string of five one-touchdown pass outings with a 310-3-1 passing line against Miami. It was just Wentz’s third 300-yard effort of the season, and only his third contest with three touchdown tosses. New York’s defense has surrendered the eighth-most passing yards and the eighth-most touchdown passes, but Wentz shouldn’t have to light it up as long as the Sanders-led ground game is productive.

Alshon Jeffery celebrated his return from a two-game injury layoff by gashing the Dolphins with nine catches for 137 yards and one touchdown on a whopping 16 targets. When Jeffery is in the lineup, the secondary widouts – Nelson Agholor and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside – become risker plays, closer to dice rolls even though the G-Men have hemorrhaged the second-most wideout fantasy points. There could be a second wideout score. Agholor is the better dart throw if you’re desperate. New York also has given up the third-fewest tight end fantasy points, but I wouldn’t let that stop me from starting Zach Ertz (hamstring).

WEEK 14 PLAYER PROJECTIONS

PASS PASS RUSH RUSH REC REC PLAYER REC YDS TD YDS TD YDS TD QB Carson Wentz 267 2 15 0 RB Jordan Howard ------RB Miles Sanders 80 1 5 27 0 RB Jay Ajayi 20 0 0 0 0 WR Alshon Jeffery 6 94 1 WR Nelson Agholor ------WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside 3 44 0 WR Greg Ward 1 5 0 TE Zach Ertz 5 57 1 TE Dallas Goedert 4 40 0

FGA FGM XPA XPM PTS PK Jake Elliott 2 2 3 3 9

P/A SK INT FUM TD DT Eagles 20 5 2 1 0

PREVIOUS MATCHUP: 2018 Regular Season – Week 12  Philadelphia outfought New York 25-22 at Lincoln Financial Field.  Carson Wentz passed for 236 yards and one touchdown.  Josh Adams (Jets) pounded out a 22-84-1 rushing line and a 0-0-0 receiving line (one target).  Alshon Jeffery caught three passes for 39 yards (three targets)  Zach Ertz hauled in seven passes for 91 yards and one score (eight targets).  Dallas Goedert made three grabs for 33 yards (four targets).